Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, July 23 to 24, 2015

Name: Tornado and Hail in Minnesota, July 23 to 24, 2015
Start: 2015-07-23T23:30
End: 2015-07-24T01:30
Location: Minnesota

July 23 to 24, 2015 · NWS FGF · 16 events in 8 counties and zones

Thunderstorms formed along a cold front during the evening hours of July 23rd. These storms produced large hail, strong winds, and a few tornadoes.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS FGF wrote it up.

Thunderstorms formed along a cold front during the evening hours of July 23rd. These storms produced large hail, strong winds, and a few tornadoes.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Grand Forks, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 23, 8:37 PM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 8:37 PM CST, 2 hours 53 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
937 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

.UPDATE...
ISSUED AT 937 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

THUNDERSTORMS MOVING IN FROM THE WEST HAVE BEEN STRONG ACROSS THE
NORTHWESTERN FORECAST AREA. UPDATED GRIDS BASED ON LATEST TRENDS
AND HRRR DATA. LOOKING FOR THIS LINE TO MOVE THROUGH THE NORTH AND
A SECONDARY AREA OF DEVELOPMENT IN THE SOUTH NEAR NOSE OF THE LOW
LEVEL JET. SEVERE WATCH GOES UNTIL 1 AM.

UPDATE ISSUED AT 635 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

FORECAST LOOKS TO BE ON TRACK WITH THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY STILL
WEST OF THE AREA. LOOKING LIKE STORMS WILL REACH THE RED RIVER
AROUND OR JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT.

&&

.SHORT TERM...(THIS EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT)
ISSUED AT 300 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT SEVERE POTENTIAL...FRONT IS CURRENTLY
(20Z) LOCATED FROM NORTH OF WINNIPEG INTO NORTH CENTRAL NORTH
DAKOTA TO NEAR DICKINSON. THUNDERSTORMS HAVE ALREADY INITIATED
ALONG THIS FEATURE IN CANADA (WHERE THE MID- LEVEL CAP IS
WEAKER)...AND WOULD EXPECT THAT THE FORCING ALONG THIS FEATURE IN
NORTH DAKOTA COMBINED WITH A WEAKENING CAP WILL BE ABLE TO
INITIATE STORMS BY MID-LATE AFTERNOON ACROSS CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA.
MLCAPE 2000-4000 J/KG EXISTS AHEAD OF THIS FEATURE (AT LEAST ALONG
AND WEST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY). ANTICIPATE ACTIVITY THAT
DEVELOPS WEST OF THE REGION WILL ORGANIZE INTO SOME SORT OF
EASTWARD MOVING COMPLEX...CONSIDERING THAT GUIDANCE INDICATES
INCREASING DEEP LAYER SHEAR (40 KNOT 500MB JET) AND A DEVELOPING
40 KNOT 850MB JET. IN FACT...HRRR HAS BEEN CONSISTENT RUN TO RUN
SHOWING A QLCS EVENT WITH AREAS OF SEVERE WIND GUSTS ACROSS E ND
AND ADJACENT PORTIONS OF MN. SPC IN ON BOARD WITH THIS ASSESSMENT
INDICATING AN ENHANCED RISK OF SEVERE STORMS FOR DAMAGING WINDS. QLCS
TORNADO ALSO POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY SE ND WHERE 0-3KM SHEAR WILL
BE WEST 30-40 KNOTS. BRIEF HEAVY RAIN LIKELY...BUT THE SYSTEM
APPEARS IT WILL BE MORE PROGRESSIVE TO PREVENT WIDESPREAD FLASH
FLOOD POTENTIAL. USED THE LATEST HRRR FOR TIMING OF POPS.

FRIDAY-FRIDAY NIGHT...ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPS AND ALTHOUGH
THUNDERSTORMS MAY BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY WEAK FAST MOVING
WAVE...MOST GUIDANCE INDICATES INSTABILITY (LOW LEVEL MOIST AXIS)
WILL BE EAST OF THE REGION BY 18Z FRIDAY. KEPT WITH A MOSTLY DRY
FORECAST AND COOLER (NEAR NORMAL) TEMPERATURES.

.LONG TERM...(SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY)
ISSUED AT 300 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

SATURDAY-SUNDAY...ZONAL FLOW CONTINUES...WITH NO STRONG SIGNAL FOR
PRECIPITATION AMONG THE MODELS. THERE ARE SOME MODEL DIFFERENCES
SATURDAY/SATURDAY NIGHT WITH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE RETURN AND UPPER
LEVEL ENERGY. KEPT A CHANCE FOR THUNDER ACROSS THE SOUTHERN
FA...BUT CONFIDENCE NOT HIGH. TEMPERATURES AGAIN CLIMB TO ABOVE
NORMAL VALUES.

SUNDAY NIGHT-THURSDAY...UPPER RIDGING AND PERSISTENT LOW-LEVEL
SOUTHERLY FLOW WILL STILL KEEP WARM AND HUMID AIR IN PLACE FOR THE
FIRST DAY OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD...WITH HIGHS WELL UP IN THE 80S.
STRONG UPPER WAVE LIFTING FROM PAC NW TO SOUTHERN CANADA WILL
CLOSE OFF...WITH AN ANOMALOUSLY DEEP SURFACE LOW INDICATED
NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS BY MON NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. STACKED LOW WILL
BE NEARLY STATIONARY WEST OF THE FORECAST AREA WHILE SEVERAL
BOUNDARIES MOVE TO THE EAST OVER NORTHERN PLAINS AND INTO
MINNESOTA TUE/WED WITH CHC POPS PREVAILING. THE COMPLEX IS LIKELY
TO MOVE THROUGH THE REGION WED NIGHT INTO THURS ACCOMPANIED BY A
GUSTY WIND SHIFT TO NW AND A DRIER REGIME TO END THE PERIOD.

&&

.AVIATION...(FOR THE 00Z TAFS THROUGH 00Z FRIDAY EVENING)
ISSUED AT 635 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE THUNDERSTORMS PUSHING EAST TO WEST ACROSS
THE REGION TONIGHT. STRONG WINDS WILL BE POSSIBLE...WITH STORMS
REACHING THE MN/ND BORDER BY MIDNIGHT OR JUST BEFORE. LOW CLOUDS
MAY LINGER BEHIND STORMS INTO MORNING HOURS AT KBJI.

&&

.FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
ND...NONE.
MN...NONE.
&&

UPDATE...KNUTSVIG
SHORT TERM...TG
LONG TERM...WJB/TG
AVIATION...KNUTSVIG

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 23, 5:37 AM CST, 17 hours 53 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
637 AM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-241145-
WEST POLK-NORMAN-CLAY-KITTSON-ROSEAU-LAKE OF THE WOODS-
WEST MARSHALL-EAST MARSHALL-NORTH BELTRAMI-PENNINGTON-RED LAKE-
EAST POLK-NORTH CLEARWATER-SOUTH BELTRAMI-MAHNOMEN-
SOUTH CLEARWATER-HUBBARD-WEST BECKER-EAST BECKER-WILKIN-
WEST OTTER TAIL-EAST OTTER TAIL-WADENA-GRANT-TOWNER-CAVALIER-
PEMBINA-BENSON-RAMSEY-EASTERN WALSH COUNTY-EDDY-NELSON-
GRAND FORKS-GRIGGS-STEELE-TRAILL-BARNES-CASS-RANSOM-SARGENT-
RICHLAND-WESTERN WALSH COUNTY-
637 AM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

...RISK OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF EASTERN NORTH
DAKOTA...WEST CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST MINNESOTA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG TO SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER
CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA THIS AFTERNOON SPREADING EAST TONIGHT. STORMS
ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO THE DEVILS LAKE BASIN AFTER 5PM AND INTO
THE VALLEY REGION AFTER 8PM AND ACROSS NORTHERN MINNESOTA AFTER 11 PM.
THE PRIMARY THREAT WILL BE LARGE HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS ALTHOUGH
ISOLATED TORNADOES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE. THE STORMS SHOULD
DIMINISH IN INTENSITY AFTER MIDNIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION MAY BE REQUIRED TONIGHT.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 23, 8:44 PM CST, 2 hours 46 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
944 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0835 PM     HAIL             1 SE CANDO              48.48N 99.19W
07/23/2015  E1.00 INCH       TOWNER             ND   PUBLIC

            A FEW HAIL STONES UP TO AN INCH IN SIZE.

&&

JKAISER

Local storm report, Jul 23, 9:06 PM CST, 2 hours 24 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1006 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0805 PM     HAIL             5 S BISBEE              48.55N 99.38W
07/23/2015  M1.00 INCH       TOWNER             ND   PUBLIC

            FEW HAIL STONES UP TO ONE INCH IN SIZE.

&&

JKAISER

Local storm report, Jul 23, 9:37 PM CST, 1 hour 53 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1037 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1027 PM     TSTM WND GST     25 E NEW ROCKFORD       47.68N 98.60W
07/23/2015  M59.00 MPH       EDDY               ND   MESONET

            NDAWN 8 MILES NORTH OF MCHENRY...PEAK MEASURED GUST.

&&

JKAISER

Local storm report, Jul 23, 9:54 PM CST, 1 hour 36 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1054 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1048 PM     TSTM WND GST     61 NE PEKIN             48.41N 97.39W
07/23/2015  M61 MPH          WALSH              ND   MESONET

            NDAWN NEAR PEKIN.

&&

JKAISER

Local storm report, Jul 23, 10:00 PM CST, 1 hour 30 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1100 PM CDT THU JUL 23 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1048 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 NE PEKIN              47.81N 98.30W
07/23/2015  M61.00 MPH       NELSON             ND   MESONET

            NDAWN NEAR PEKIN.

&&

JKAISER

Local storm report, Jul 23, 11:03 PM CST, 27 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1203 AM CDT FRI JUL 24 2015

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1150 PM     TSTM WND GST     5 NNE HILLSBORO         47.47N 97.02W
07/23/2015  M61 MPH          TRAILL             ND   PUBLIC

            PERSONAL DAVIS SYSTEM...PEAK GUST

&&

JKAISER

The radar

The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 39 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 23, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Norman County, 0.83 mi SE of Shelly
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Social Media
Coordinates: 47.460, -96.820

Roofs were damaged and trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 23, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Norman County, 1.87 mi E of Hadler
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.370, -96.510

A shed was damaged and numerous trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Polk

When: July 23, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Polk County, 0.83 mi NE of Maple Bay
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.640, -96.220

A boat lift was flipped over.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mahnomen

When: July 23, 11:46 PM CST
Where: Mahnomen County, 0.83 mi SE of Mahnomen
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 47.310, -95.970

Trees and power lines were blown down.

Tornado, Norman

When: July 23, 11:46 PM CST to 11:51 PM CST
Where: Norman County, 1.4 mi W of Sundahl to 1.4 mi N of Ranum
Rating: EF1
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Reported by: NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates: 47.470, -96.230

The tornado occurred just south of the Polk County line, mainly along county road one, and was embedded in heavy rain and downburst winds. The tornado snapped numerous trees, caused minor damage to a storage building and house, and cracked a power pole. Peak winds were estimated at 110 mph.

Hail, Becker

When: July 24, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Becker County, 6.44 mi NNW of Tamarac Refuge
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.050, -95.690

Thunderstorm Wind, Clearwater

When: July 24, 12:00 AM CST
Where: Clearwater County, 2.07 mi S of Bagley
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.490, -95.400

Small tree limbs were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mahnomen

When: July 24, 12:05 AM CST
Where: Mahnomen County, 0.83 mi SE of Mahnomen
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 47.310, -95.970

Several large trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Norman

When: July 24, 12:15 AM CST
Where: Norman County, 2.07 mi N of Ranum
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 47.500, -96.130

A small pine tree was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Becker

When: July 24, 12:30 AM CST
Where: Becker County, 1.98 mi SE of Two Inlets
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.030, -95.190

Several large trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wadena

When: July 24, 1:00 AM CST
Where: Wadena County, Menahga
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.750, -95.100

Several six inch diameter tree branches were blown down around town.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hubbard

When: July 24, 1:05 AM CST
Where: Hubbard County, 2.13 mi NNW of Hubbard
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.860, -95.030

Several eight to ten inch diameter trees were snapped.

Thunderstorm Wind, Beltrami

When: July 24, 1:15 AM CST
Where: Beltrami County, 1.38 mi S of Tenstrike
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.630, -94.680

Many pine trees were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hubbard

When: July 24, 1:22 AM CST
Where: Hubbard County, 2.8 mi S of Akeley
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.960, -94.670

Numerous six inch diameter tree branches were blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Beltrami

When: July 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Beltrami County, 5.61 mi N of Pennington
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.530, -94.480

Four to five trees on the west side of Lake Pimushe were snapped ten feet above ground level.

Thunderstorm Wind, Beltrami

When: July 24, 1:30 AM CST
Where: Beltrami County, 6.29 mi N of Pennington
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.540, -94.480

A tree was blown down near Moose Lake.

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Minnesota in 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Minnesota, 2015 Warnings in Minnesota, July 2015

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 584639, 584640, 584641, 584642, 584651, 584643, 584644, 584645, 584646, 584647, 584652, 584653, 584648, 584654, 584649, 584650.