North Dakota, 2019

Hail and Damaging Wind in North Dakota, September 20, 2019

September 20, 2019 · NWS FGF · 2 events in 1 county or zone

During the pre-dawn hours of the 20th, a stationary boundary extended from Devils Lake to Fergus Falls. Temperature and dew point temperatures were generally in the 60s along and south of the boundary, quite mild for late September.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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.

During the pre-dawn hours of the 20th, a stationary boundary extended from Devils Lake to Fergus Falls. Temperature and dew point temperatures were generally in the 60s along and south of the boundary, quite mild for late September. As the low level jet strengthened, thunderstorms broke out across northeast South Dakota and southeast North Dakota. One particularly strong cluster of storms from northeast South Dakota tracked up through Havana, Forman, and Lisbon, before weakening over western Cass County. These storms produced large hail.

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 Sep 20, 2:23 AM CST, 37 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 20, 2:23 AM CST, 37 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Sep 20, 3:00 AM CST, 0 minutes before
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The radar

The Aberdeen radar (KABR), 94 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 08:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Sargent

When
September 20, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Sargent County, 0.84 mi SW of Forman
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.110, -97.640

Dime to quarter sized hail fell.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sargent

When
September 20, 3:15 AM CST
Where
Sargent County, 0.48 mi W of Gwinner Arpt
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) estimated gust
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.220, -97.660

Branches were blown down.

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, September 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 849362, 849364.