North Dakota, 2019

Hail and Damaging Wind in North Dakota, July 31, 2019

July 31, 2019 · NWS BIS · 10 events in 5 counties and zones

A surface low pressure system and frontal boundary moving easterly served as the focus for thunderstorm development. Some thunderstorms became severe over western and north central North Dakota in elevated instability.

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
10

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 BIS wrote it up.

A surface low pressure system and frontal boundary moving easterly served as the focus for thunderstorm development. Some thunderstorms became severe over western and north central North Dakota in elevated instability. The largest hail reported was the size of ping pong balls, and fell in Mountrail County. The strongest thunderstorm wind gust reported was 65 mph, and occurred in Dunn County.

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 Bismarck, ND wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 31, 3:53 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 3:53 PM MST, 0 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 31, 3:40 PM MST, 13 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 31, 2:44 PM MST, 1 hour 9 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 31, 2:51 PM MST, 1 hour 2 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 31, 3:31 PM MST, 22 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 31, 3:34 PM MST, 19 minutes before
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The radar

The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 194 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

9 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Billings

When
July 31, 3:53 PM MST to 3:55 PM MST
Where
Billings County, 15.23 mi S of Fryburg
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.650, -103.300

Hail, Mountrail

When
July 31, 5:15 PM CST to 5:18 PM CST
Where
Mountrail County, 4.15 mi S of Sanish
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
47.920, -102.570

Hail, Mountrail

When
July 31, 5:18 PM CST to 5:21 PM CST
Where
Mountrail County, 5.55 mi S of Sanish
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
47.900, -102.580

Hail, Dunn

When
July 31, 4:20 PM MST to 4:23 PM MST
Where
Dunn County, 7.16 mi NNW of Dunn Center
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
47.450, -102.670

Hail, Mountrail

When
July 31, 6:27 PM CST to 6:30 PM CST
Where
Mountrail County, 10.62 mi W of Belden
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.160, -102.580

Hail, Mountrail

When
July 31, 7:05 PM CST to 7:06 PM CST
Where
Mountrail County, 4.42 mi NW of Belden Arpt
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.220, -102.390

Thunderstorm Wind, Dunn

When
July 31, 6:07 PM MST to 6:10 PM MST
Where
Dunn County, 5.1 mi SW of Manning
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
47.180, -102.850

The public reported thunderstorm wind gusts to 65 mph.

Hail, Renville

When
July 31, 7:35 PM CST to 7:40 PM CST
Where
Renville County, 6.86 mi W of Glenburn
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
48.520, -101.370

Hail, Ward

When
July 31, 7:44 PM CST to 7:47 PM CST
Where
Ward County, 2.39 mi WNW of Donnybrook
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.530, -101.920

Hail, Ward

When
July 31, 8:10 PM CST to 8:13 PM CST
Where
Ward County, 1.96 mi ENE of (Mib)minot Afb
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
48.440, -101.330

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in North Dakota in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, July 2019

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: 842305, 842310, 842312, 842307, 842324, 842326, 842322, 842328, 842327, 842329.