Isolated thunderstorms developed along a cold front that moved through early in the morning. There was one reported severe wind gust of 61 mph near Hurdsfield in Wells County.
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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.
Isolated thunderstorms developed along a cold front that moved through early in the morning. There was one reported severe wind gust of 61 mph near Hurdsfield in Wells 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 May 14, 4:06 AM CST, 25 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Bismarck ND 506 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Critical fire weather conditions today through Friday for all of western and central North Dakota, including the James River Valley. - Strong winds will persist through Friday. Patchy blowing dust is expected at times. - High chances (60 to 80 percent) for showers and a few thunderstorms Saturday night through Monday. The highest chances are during the day Sunday. - Frost and freeze conditions may return to parts of the area starting Friday night. The highest probability for widespread frost and freeze conditions is Monday night and Tuesday night. && .DISCUSSION... Issued at 506 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 Surface low pressure is currently entering southern Saskatchewan, and is expected to pass from west to east across southern Canada over the next few days. Currently, strong winds across most of the state are out of the southeast. However, an associated cold frontal boundary has just entered western North Dakota within the past hour or so. This fropa will switch winds to a westerly direction that persists through Friday. Showers ahead of this frontal boundary are primarily virga, though occasional reports of a brief sprinkle or light rain have been observed, as well as a few isolated lightning strikes. There may be a brief lull in the winds as the front approaches, and then again in the southern half of the state tonight. However, the surface low is progged to deepen and wind up through the day today, and then remain tightly wound through Friday. As a result, overall very windy conditions are expected to persist through the day Friday before rapidly diminishing Friday evening. Currently, the strongest winds are favored in the northwest. All in all, ongoing wind headlines look good at this time. One other note is that patchy blowing dust is expected at times with these strong winds. Saturday will remain dry with light winds. After which, models are coming into agreement that low pressure will begin to develop over Colorado and lift northeast through the Great Lakes region. This will help bring bring Gulf moisture into the Northern Plains, though models maintain some disagreement as to how far into North Dakota it will penetrate before Canadian high pressure cuts off the spigot. Bottom line is that the probability of precipitation continues to increase with all of the state currently seeing multiple six hour periods of 60 percent or greater chances Saturday night through Monday. The highest overall chances are during the day Sunday. The NBM probability for at least half an inch of rain is in excess of 50 percent for all locations east of Highway 85, and around 30 percent along the ND/MT border. High temperatures today through Saturday will be mostly in the 70s. Cooler conditions mostly in the mid 50s to mid 60s are then forecast on Sunday. These cooler temperatures, albeit with a slight warming trend, are then favored into the middle of next week. Frost and freeze headlines could wind up being needed for parts of the area starting Friday night, but possibly across a more widespread area starting Sunday. && .AVIATION /06Z TAFS THROUGH 06Z FRIDAY/... Issued at 104 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 Showers are expected to continue passing from west to east across western through central North Dakota overnight. However, most of these will remain virga with only a few sprinkles or brief light rain reaching the surface at times. A few lightning strikes have been observed in the northwest, and could see a few more over the next hour or two. As a cold front passes from west to east across the state tonight through Thursday morning, winds will rapidly shift to the west and increase in strength. The strongest winds will be in northwestern North Dakota where gusts up to 55 kts are possible. There could also be brief LLWS ahead of the frontal boundary. && .FIRE WEATHER... Issued at 506 AM CDT THU May 14 2026 Dry and very windy conditions will continue through Friday. For this morning, a cold frontal boundary off Canadian low pressure will pass across the state from west to east resulting in winds shifting from a southeasterly component to a westerly component. Fairly widespread radar echoes are present ahead of the front. However, the lower levels are so dry that no more than a few sprinkles or brief light rain have been observed so far. That is unlikely to change, though of note, a few isolated lightning strikes have also been observed. Aforementioned low pressure will continue to deepen and wind up through the day today, remaining so through Friday, as it gradually churns towards James Bay. This will allow winds to remain persistently windy through Friday, though a drop in winds across the southern half of the state tonight is possible as diurnal enhancement is lost. Considering relative humidity recoveries are only around 40 to 50 percent, will continue the Red Flag Warning for all of western through central North Dakota, including the James River Valley, through Friday. Winds should then diminish rapidly Friday evening and overnight, though likely maintain a westerly component. Winds Saturday should be light, but will transition from a westerly to easterly direction as the next system approaches. This next system is favored to begin in Colorado before lifting towards the Great Lakes Region. This will result in the return of windy conditions and the advection of Gulf moisture into parts of the Northern Plains. As such, the probability for widespread precipitation keeps increasing. At this point, for Sunday through Monday, almost every part of the state has at least one six hour period with a 60 to 80 percent chance of a wetting rain. Every part of the state has multiple six hour periods of at least a 40 percent chance of a wetting rain. && .BIS WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Advisory until 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ this morning for NDZ001>003-009-010-017-055-056. Red Flag Warning from 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ this morning to 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ Friday for NDZ001>005-009>013-017>023-025- 031>037-040>048-050-051. High Wind Warning from 10 AM CDT /9 AM MDT/ this morning to 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ Friday for NDZ001>003-009-010-017-055-056. Wind Advisory until 9 PM CDT /8 PM MDT/ Friday for NDZ004-005- 012-013-019-020-022-023-025-035>037-042-046>048-050-051- 057>062. Wind Advisory until 7 PM CDT /6 PM MDT/ Friday for NDZ018- 031>033-040-041-043-044. && DISCUSSION...Telken AVIATION...Telken FIRE WEATHER...Telken
Hazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Bismarck ND 316 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 NDZ004-005-012-013-018>020-022-023-025-031>033-035>037-040>044- 046>048-050-051-057>062-150830- Bottineau-Rolette-McHenry-Pierce-Dunn-Mercer-Oliver-Sheridan- Wells-Foster-Golden Valley-Billings-Stark-Burleigh-Kidder- Stutsman-Slope-Hettinger-Grant-Bowman-Adams-Emmons-Logan-La Moure- McIntosh-Dickey-Western McLean-Eastern McLean-Western Morton- Eastern Morton-Western Sioux-Eastern Sioux- 316 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 /216 AM MDT Thu May 14 2026/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central North Dakota, south central North Dakota, southeast North Dakota, and southwest North Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A Red Flag Warning and a Wind Advisory are in effect through Friday. See weather.gov/bis for details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday A Red Flag Warning and a Wind Advisory are in effect through Friday. See weather.gov/bis for details. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are asked to provide reports to the NWS using standard procedures, including through our social media accounts. NDZ001>003-009-010-017-055-056-150830- Divide-Burke-Renville-Williams-Mountrail-McKenzie-Northwest Ward- Central and Southern Ward/Minot Area- 316 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026 /216 AM MDT Thu May 14 2026/ This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of north central North Dakota and northwest North Dakota. .DAY ONE...Today and Tonight A High Wind Warning and a Red Flag Warning are in effect through Friday. See weather.gov/bis for details. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...Friday through Wednesday A High Wind Warning and a Red Flag Warning are in effect through Friday. See weather.gov/bis for details. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... Spotters are asked to provide reports to the NWS using standard procedures, including through our social media accounts. Telken
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Bismarck ND
204 AM CDT Thu May 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1149 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 10 S Watford City 47.66N 103.32W
05/13/2026 M58 MPH McKenzie ND Mesonet
Mesonet station WCYN8 Watford City.
&&
JAAThe Bismarck radar (KBIS), 98 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 10:32 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hurdsfield NDAWN station reported wind gusts up to 61 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in North Dakota in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in North Dakota, May 2026
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: 1342378.