A mid level low pressure system over southern Manitoba, Canada, kept a pool of cold temperatures aloft over the Devils Lake region during the early evening of May 27th. Daytime heating led to afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms, but the air near the surface remained very dry.
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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.
The episode as NWS FGF wrote it up.
A mid level low pressure system over southern Manitoba, Canada, kept a pool of cold temperatures aloft over the Devils Lake region during the early evening of May 27th. Daytime heating led to afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms, but the air near the surface remained very dry. This set up an environment conducive for strong wind gusts and outflow from the showers and storms.
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 May 27, 2:14 PM CST, 2 hours 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 314 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Sunday) Issued at 314 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Looking at more of the same for tonight into Sunday. The biggest change will probably be temperatures, which will be a little cooler by Sunday. Showers and isolated thunder have developed this afternoon as expected, and they will continue tonight into Sunday. Trends seem to favor a bit more pcpn development around the mid level short wave, which is moving from southeast Saskatchewan toward northwest and north central ND right now. This short wave will track into the Devils Lake region by early evening, then into the Red River Valley by late evening. Otherwise there will be other development outside of this, but more isolated to scattered in nature. Any shower has the potential to produce rainfall amounts around a quarter inch, but it could also produce brief wind gusts to 40 mph. There has been some lightning and minimal CAPE across the area, but nothing too much. Any thunder threat should subside by early evening, leaving just the showers thereafter. By morning, most of the activity should have shifted into Minnesota, but there could still be something lingering along the Canadian border. Then additional development will occur with the heating of the day Sunday. The gusty winds will diminish this evening, remain lower overnight, then pick up again on Sunday, this time being even stronger than today. .LONG TERM...(Sunday night through Saturday) Issued at 314 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 Chances for storms will dissipate Sunday night, as effective shear and instability weaken and forcing from one upper level impulse moves out. The strong upper low, currently in Manitoba, moves into northern Minnesota Sunday night and works gradually into the Great Lakes region on Monday. As several weak impulses push around the upper level system Sunday night through Monday night, breezy and cloudy conditions and chances for scattered light showers will continue. Cloudy skies, close proximity to the upper low, and breezy northwest flow will make for a cool day Monday, with highs only reaching the 50s to maybe 60 degrees and lows in the 40s Monday night. Rain chances will decrease significantly from Monday night into Tuesday but cannot quite rule out a few stray showers during the day Tuesday. For Tuesday evening through Thursday night, a blocking ridge moves in from the west. This ridge, combined with drier northwest flow, will allow for a few dry periods and a much nicer second half of the week. After high pressure moves through western North Dakota and eastern South Dakota Wednesday, the return of southerly flow at lower levels combined with a ridge building in will allow for warmer air to move back in. The second half of the week will have more pleasant weather with near to slightly above normal temperatures, and no foreseeable rain chances until at least the Thursday night to Friday night time frame. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Sunday afternoon) Issued at 1251 PM CDT Sat May 27 2017 The calmer morning conditions have ended, with most TAFs now reporting wind gusts along with some cumulus. Expect the cumulus to get thicker through the day into the evening, but well into the VFR range. Showers and isolated thunder remain possible for most of the TAF period, but the chances of hitting any particular TAF site is low enough to just include VCSH for now. If confidence increases can update later. Winds will drop off again tonight and become gusty again by mid Sunday morning. Could see some 30 to 40 mph wind gusts as any showers come through, but hard to nail that down too specifically at this point either. && .FGF WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... ND...None. MN...None. && SHORT TERM...Godon LONG TERM...BP AVIATION...Godon
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Grand Forks ND 420 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 MNZ001>009-013>017-022>024-027>032-040-NDZ006>008-014>016-024- 026>030-038-039-049-052>054-280930- 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- 420 AM CDT Sat May 27 2017 This hazardous weather outlook is for portions of eastern North Dakota, west central and northwest Minnesota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight Scattered showers and thunderstorms will be possible late this afternoon and evening across eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. No severe weather is expected at this time. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Sunday through Friday The chance for a few isolated thunderstorms will continue on Sunday. Storms are not expected to become severe. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotter activation is not anticipated.
The Fargo/Grand Forks radar (KMVX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:14 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind gust was measured by a ND DOT sensor. The strong wind blew down a tree at Sullys Hill Game Preserve, blocking the road.
The wind gust was measured by a NDAWN wind sensor.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, May 2017
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: 696572, 693415.