A pair of intense supercell thunderstorms moved over southwest North Dakota ahead of a weak short wave-trough in an area of strong instability and deep layer shear. The greatest damage from these storms occurred near Heart Butte Dam in Grant County, where hail up to three inches in diameter shredded crops and damaged structures.
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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 BIS wrote it up.
A pair of intense supercell thunderstorms moved over southwest North Dakota ahead of a weak short wave-trough in an area of strong instability and deep layer shear. The greatest damage from these storms occurred near Heart Butte Dam in Grant County, where hail up to three inches in diameter shredded crops and damaged structures. Additional thunderstorms then developed ahead of the aforementioned trough over southwest and south central North Dakota, with some becoming severe. Later in the evening, a severe thunderstorm moved from Saskatchewan into Divide County producing large hail and damaging crops. The strongest thunderstorm wind gust during this episode was 70 mph near Lefor in Stark County, and the largest hail was three inches in diameter in Grant County.
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 5, 12:42 PM MST, 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Bismarck ND 242 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 .SHORT TERM...(This evening through Monday) Issued at 243 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 Severe storms this evening and tonight highlight the short term forecast period. Strong to severe storms will develop along and ahead of a cold front late this afternoon/early evening across the far south central and James River Valley. The environment will be characterized by effective shear in the 35 to 45 knot range and moderate to strong instability. Thus, we expect a mixed mode of multicell clusters and/or transient supercell structures initially. The strongest storms may produce damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph and hail up to golf ball size. While the threat is non- zero because of various potential boundary interactions, the tornado threat does not appear to be very high, with weak low level shear forecast. Very heavy rain will accompany these storms and we may see some training across the far southern James River Valley, where a Flash Flood Watch remains in effect for Dickey and McIntosh counties. Other portions of western and central North Dakota have a chance for a strong to severe storm, but these will be very few and far between, with hail up to quarter size and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph. Storms may continue overnight before finally drifting south and east, but new storms may enter the southwest from ongoing convection over eastern Montana. Another round storms may fire west late Monday afternoon ahead of another strong shortwave. The southwest will likely see the strongest storms. .LONG TERM...(Monday night through Sunday) Issued at 243 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 The strong shortwave makes it into the west late Monday night. Plenty of elevated instability and strong shear will overlap favorably for at least some severe risk overnight across the west and/or south. However, it remains to be seen how widespread storms will be with only subtle height falls forecast. An even stronger wave approaches on Tuesday, which could end up producing the most significant severe weather of the period given very strong instability favorably overlapping deep layer shear in the 50 to 60 knot range across the west. We probably still have a day or so until we start getting a clearer picture regarding specific threats and location, but confidence is increasing that Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning will be active. Behind Tuesday's wave, it is looking like a dry spell from Wednesday afternoon until later Friday. The far north could see a few showers on Thursday, however. Some global models are then depicting a ridge rider MCS coming down from Canada overnight Friday with mainly dry high pressure moving in Saturday afternoon and Sunday. && .AVIATION...(For the 18Z TAFS through 18Z Monday afternoon) Issued at 1227 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 Another round of widespread showers and thunderstorms will form this afternoon and evening across the south central and Southern James River Valley. A few of these storms may become severe with hail up to the size of golf balls and damaging winds up to 70 mph. An isolated shower or thunderstorm will be possible elsewhere. Underneath any heavier storms, brief IFR/MVFR conditions will be possible, but VFR conditions are generally expected through the period. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Flash Flood Watch through late tonight for NDZ050-051. && SHORT TERM...ZH LONG TERM...ZH AVIATION...ZH
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Bismarck ND 200 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 NDZ001-009-017-018-031>033-040-043-061900- Divide-Williams-McKenzie-Dunn-Golden Valley-Billings-Stark-Slope- Bowman- 200 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 /100 PM MDT Sun Jul 5 2020/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of northwest North Dakota and southwest North Dakota. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight A few thunderstorms are possible across far western North Dakota today. The main hazards will be small hail, gusty winds and lightning. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Severe storms are possible later Monday into Monday night, and again later Tuesday into Tuesday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Reports of what is happening in your area are very important. Report directly to the National Weather Service. NDZ002>005-010>013-019>023-034-035-041-042-044-061900- Burke-Renville-Bottineau-Rolette-Mountrail-Ward-McHenry-Pierce- Mercer-Oliver-McLean-Sheridan-Wells-Morton-Burleigh-Hettinger- Grant-Adams- 200 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 /100 PM MDT Sun Jul 5 2020/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central North Dakota, northwest North Dakota, south central North Dakota, and southwest North Dakota. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible across central North Dakota this afternoon into tonight. The main hazards will be large hail up to quarter size and damaging wind gusts up to 60 mph. Very heavy rain is also possible with the storms and that may lead to flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas. Remember, lightning can kill. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Severe storms are possible later Monday into Monday night, and again later Tuesday into Tuesday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Reports of what is happening in your area are very important. Report directly to the National Weather Service. NDZ025-036-037-045>048-061900- Foster-Kidder-Stutsman-Sioux-Emmons-Logan-La Moure- 200 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 /100 PM MDT Sun Jul 5 2020/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of south central North Dakota and southeast North Dakota. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible from the Fort Yates and Linton areas through Steele and the James River Valley this afternoon into tonight. The main hazards will be large hail up to golf ball size and damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph. Very heavy rain is also possible with the storms and that may lead to flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas. Remember, lightning can kill. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Severe storms are possible later Monday into Monday night, and again later Tuesday into Tuesday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Reports of what is happening in your area are very important. Report directly to the National Weather Service. NDZ050-051-061900- McIntosh-Dickey- 200 PM CDT Sun Jul 5 2020 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of southeast North Dakota. .DAY ONE...This Afternoon and Tonight Scattered severe thunderstorms are possible from the Fort Yates and Linton areas through Steele and the James River Valley this afternoon into tonight. The main hazards will be large hail up to golf ball size and damaging wind gusts up to 70 mph. Very heavy rain is also possible with the storms and that may lead to flooding of low lying and poor drainage areas. Remember, lightning can kill. A Flash Flood Watch has been issued from late this afternoon through late tonight. See www.weather.gov/bis for details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Monday through Saturday Severe storms are possible later Monday into Monday night, and again later Tuesday into Tuesday night. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Reports of what is happening in your area are very important. Report directly to the National Weather Service. ZH
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
1231 PM CDT SUN JUL 5 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1035 PM TSTM WND GST MARMARTH 46.30N 103.92W
07/04/2020 E60 MPH SLOPE ND PUBLIC
LATE REPORT FOR LAST NIGHTS STORMS. TIME
ESTIMATED FROM RADAR. WINDS WERE AT LEAST 60
MPH.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
102 PM CDT SUN JUL 5 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1110 PM TSTM WND GST 1 WSW BOWMAN 46.18N 103.41W
07/04/2020 E60 MPH BOWMAN ND PUBLIC
LATE REPORT FROM LAST NIGHT. TIME ESTIMATED
FROM RADAR.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BISMARCK ND
225 PM CDT SUN JUL 5 2020
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1042 AM TSTM WND GST 5 W RHAME 46.24N 103.75W
07/04/2020 E60 MPH BOWMAN ND TRAINED SPOTTER
LATE REPORT FROM STORMS LAST NIGHT. TIME
ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.
&&The Bismarck radar (KBIS), 154 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:32 UTC.
15 hail, 3 thunderstorm wind, 1 funnel cloud. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail combined with thunderstorm wind gusts to break some windows in the house and to break skylights on out-buildings. One coral wall was pushed over.
Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by a trained spotter.
Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by a trained spotter.
Multiple windows were broken on the barn and on garage doors.
Windows were broken on the north and west side of the home and out-buildings. Metal sheds were dented. Corn crop was shredded and destroyed.
Thunderstorm wind gusts were estimated by the public.
A flowering canola field was damaged.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, July 2020
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: 903473, 903475, 903477, 903479, 903480, 903481, 903482, 903485, 903486, 903487, 903489, 903490, 904328, 903491, 904327, 904329, 904330, 904331, 904332.