High Wind in Minnesota, October 12, 2015

Name: High Wind in Minnesota, October 12, 2015
Start: 2015-10-12T08:00
End: 2015-10-12T15:00
Location: Minnesota

October 12, 2015 · NWS FGF · 17 events in 17 counties and zones

For most of northwest Minnesota, Sunday, October 11th, was a hot day with steady south winds. However, a cold front pushed through the Red River Valley by early evening.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 17 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 17

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.

For most of northwest Minnesota, Sunday, October 11th, was a hot day with steady south winds. However, a cold front pushed through the Red River Valley by early evening. Just ahead of the front, winds took on a bit of a southwest to west direction, which is a good warming wind. Temperatures along the Red River Valley from Grand Forks southward surged into the 90s. Fargo hit 97 degrees, which was its warmest temperature of the year. Behind the front, temperatures would quickly fall with strong northwest winds. These strong winds caused several wildfires. Elsewhere, freshly plowed fields and the wind resulted in areas of blowing dust and low visibilities. These strong winds dropped off a little overnight, but quickly picked up again Monday morning. Hallock reported a peak wind of 58 mph.

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 Oct 11, 5:43 PM CST, 14 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 11, 5:43 PM CST, 14 hours 17 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 11, 9:55 AM CST, 22 hours 5 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GRAND FORKS ND
1055 AM CDT SUN OCT 11 2015

MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024-
026>030-038-039-049-052>054-120945-
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-
1055 AM CDT SUN OCT 11 2015

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

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

STRONG WINDS WILL QUICKLY DEVELOP BEHIND A COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING...WITH GUSTS UP TO 60 MPH POSSIBLE INTO THE RED RIVER
VALLEY. WINDS WILL SUBSIDE FOR A PERIOD OVERNIGHT...BUT THEN
INCREASE LATER TONIGHT. WINDS WILL AGAIN GUST TO NEAR 60 MPH INTO
MONDAY MORNING...ESPECIALLY ALONG AND WEST OF THE RED RIVER VALLEY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

STRONG NORTHWEST WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 60 MPH INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON
ALONG AND WEST OF THE VALLEY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED.

JAM/TG

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Kittson

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Kittson forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.777, -96.783 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Marshall

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: West Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Polk

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: West Polk forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Norman

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Norman forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.327, -96.455 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Clay

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Clay forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.892, -96.491 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Wilkin

When: October 12, 8:00 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Wilkin forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.357, -96.468 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Marshall

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: East Marshall forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.358, -96.368 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Pennington

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Pennington forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.066, -96.037 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Red Lake

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Red Lake forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.872, -96.095 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Polk

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: East Polk forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.774, -96.402 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Mahnomen

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Mahnomen forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.325, -95.809 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Becker

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: East Becker forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Becker

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: West Becker forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.935, -95.674 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, East Otter Tail

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: East Otter Tail forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, West Otter Tail

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: West Otter Tail forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.409, -95.708 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Grant

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Grant forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.934, -96.012 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Roseau

When: October 12, 11:30 AM CST to 3:00 PM CST
Where: Roseau forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.775, -95.811 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

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 Warnings in Minnesota, October 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 601908, 601909, 601910, 601911, 601912, 601913, 601914, 601915, 601916, 601917, 601918, 601919, 601920, 601921, 601922, 601923, 601924.