Tornadoes · United States · North Dakota · 2008

EF0 tornado, Maddock, North Dakota, June 23, 2008

This EF0 tornado ran 0.2 miles across Benson County on June 23, 2008, touching down at 8:40 PM CDT and reaching 25 yards wide. It killed nobody.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The Enhanced Fujita scale rates the damage rather than measuring the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. EF065 to 85 mphthis tornado

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. EF186 to 110 mph

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. EF2111 to 135 mph

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. EF3136 to 165 mph

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. EF4166 to 200 mph

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. EF5over 200 mph

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

The record

Rating
EF0
Date
June 23, 2008
Touchdown
8:40 PM CDT (01:40 UTC)
Lifted
8:41 PM CDT (01:41 UTC)
On the ground
1 minutes
Path length
0.2 miles (0.3 km)
Path width
25 yards (23 m)
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Crop damage
$20,000
County
Benson County
Touchdown point
47.970, -99.570
Lift-off point
47.970, -99.570
Record number
0806231940-01

What the Weather Service recorded

Severe thunderstorms developed across central and north central North Dakota Monday (23rd) evening. Most of the storms developed near a strong upper level disturbance and an upper jet tracking along the Canadian border.

A persistent funnel produced a brief touchdown in an open field.

From NOAA NCEI's Storm Events Database, the narrative the local forecast office wrote for Storm Data.

The warnings

27 minutes of warning. NWS FGF issued a tornado warning for this county at 01:13 UTC, 27 minutes before the tornado touched down, in force until 02:15 UTC.

Issued (UTC)ExpiredProductOffice
00:25 UTC01:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF
01:13 UTC02:15 UTCTornado WarningFGF
01:34 UTC02:30 UTCSevere Thunderstorm WarningFGF

Every warning and watch covering the touchdown point that day, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service products. Lead time is measured from the issue of the warning in force to the touchdown time in the database, both of which were recorded to the minute by different people.

The forecast that day

The Storm Prediction Center had this point in a Slight Risk. The outlook in force was issued at 00:41 UTC.

SPC's Day 1 convective outlook as it stood when the tornado began, read at the touchdown point. The same archive is on the radar archive.

The air that afternoon

The radiosonde launches on either side of the tornado, from the nearest station that was launching then, drawn and analyzed the way Storm Lab does: the same diagram, the same parcel and shear definitions SPC's mesoanalysis uses.

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), 00:00Z

1.7 hours before the tornado, 158 km from the path. June 24, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2008-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 735 joules per kilogram, CIN -25, lifted condensation level 1373 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 00:00Z on 2008-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 44 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 33 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
735 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-25 J/kg
Surface CAPE
2196 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1373 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
33 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
6 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
44 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.1
Supercell composite
1.7
0-3 km lapse rate
7.7 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

Bismarck Municip, ND (KBIS), 12:00Z

10.3 hours after it, 158 km from the path. June 24, 2008.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2008-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel lifted from the surface. Mixed-layer CAPE 0 joules per kilogram, CIN -79433, lifted condensation level 1565 meters above ground. Wind barbs in knots down the right edge.LCL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed. The warm shading is its CAPE, the cool shading the inhibition it has to break through.
HodographHodograph, Bismarck Municip, ND at 12:00Z on 2008-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers as a curve, rings every 10 meters per second labeled in knots. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 20 square meters per square second, 0 to 6 km bulk shear 28 knots.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km. RM and LM are the right and left moving storms Bunkers' method gives; the shaded area is the 0 to 1 km storm-relative helicity.
Mixed-layer CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-79433 J/kg
Surface CAPE
0 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1565 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
28 kt
0-1 km bulk shear
4 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
20 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
71 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
-0.1
0-3 km lapse rate
3.5 K/km

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The surface observations

Devils_lake (DVL), 52 km from the path, in the two hours either side.

Time (UTC)Temp (°F)Dew point (°F)WindGust (kt)Pressure (mb)Weather
23:55 UTC75.251.8200° 15 kt231014.6
00:15 UTC73.448.2200° 14 kt221014.6
00:35 UTC73.450190° 16 kt191013.9
00:55 UTC71.651.8190° 12 kt1013.9
01:15 UTC71.651.8190° 12 kt1013.9
01:35 UTC71.651.8180° 12 kt1013.5
01:55 UTC71.653.6190° 15 kt1013.5TS
02:15 UTC71.653.6180° 14 kt211012.9
02:35 UTC69.853.6180° 12 kt1012.9
02:55 UTC69.853.6180° 13 kt181013.5
03:15 UTC69.855.4210° 20 kt1013.9
03:35 UTC64.451.8230° 16 kt191014.2

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of airport observations.

What was reported nearby

Local storm reports within 60 km of the path, in the three hours either side.

Time (UTC)ReportWhereCountyRemark
23:50 UTCHAIL 1.25RugbyPierce, NDLASTED FIVE MINUTES.
23:55 UTCHAIL 0.88RugbyPierce, ND
00:10 UTCHAIL 0.88RugbyPierce, NDNICKEL SIZE HAIL COMING DOWN IN SHEETS. CANNOT SEE ACROSS STREET.
00:30 UTCHAIL 0.884 Nne BaltaPierce, ND
00:40 UTCHAIL 11 Nw FillmoreBenson, NDHAIL FELL FOR 20 MINUTES.
00:40 UTCHAIL 11 Nw FillmoreBenson, NDHAIL FELL FOR 20 MINUTES RESULTING IN SEVERAL SECTIONS OF DAMAGED CROP LAND IN IMPARK TOWNSHIP.
01:00 UTCHAIL 0.882 Se EsmondBenson, ND
01:05 UTCHAIL 13 Se SilvaPierce, NDLASTED TEN MINUTES.
01:25 UTCHAIL 13 Nw EsmondBenson, ND
01:35 UTCHAIL 0.756 N MaddockBenson, ND
01:35 UTCHAIL 1.75EsmondBenson, NDSEVERAL SECTIONS OF CROP LAND RECEIVED DAMAGE IN ESMOND AND RICH VALLEY TOWNSHIPS.
01:35 UTCHAIL 1.75EsmondBenson, ND
01:40 UTCTORNADO 02 Wnw MaddockBenson, NDA PERSISTENT FUNNEL PRODUCED A BRIEF TOUCHDOWN IN AN OPENED FIELD.
02:00 UTCHAIL 1.58 Sw MaddockBenson, NDHAIL REMAINED ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 1.5 HOURS. SEVERAL SECTIONS OF CROP LAND RECEIVED DAMAGE IN ARNE TOWNSHIP.
02:00 UTCHAIL 1.58 Sw MaddockBenson, NDREMAINED ON THE GROUND FOR ABOUT 1.5 HOURS
02:05 UTCHAIL 12 S MaddockBenson, NDHAIL FROM 905 TO 915 PM. REPORTED BY NORTH DAKOTA ARB OBSERVER.
02:05 UTCHAIL 12 S MaddockBenson, NDHAIL FROM 905 TO 915 PM. REPORTED BY NORTH DAKOTA ARB OBSERVER. SEVERAL SECTIONS OF CROP LAND RECEIVED DAMAGE ACROSS HESPER AND NORTH VIKING TOWNSHIPS.
02:08 UTCHAIL 1.255 Ssw WellsburgWells, NDLASTED FOUR MINUTES.
02:15 UTCHAIL 1.510 W HambergWells, NDGROUND WHITE WITH HAIL. 1.5 INCHES OF RAIN.
02:16 UTCHAIL 110 Se HarveyWells, ND
02:30 UTCHAIL 0.887 Nw New RockfordEddy, ND
03:18 UTCHAIL 12 Ene ChaseleyWells, ND

From the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service local storm reports.

This ground now

The live radar over the trackEvery 2008 tornado in North DakotaEvery tornado in North Dakota since 1950Warnings in force in North Dakota nowThe forecast where you are

The other tornadoes of June 23, 2008

5 more were confirmed in the United States that day.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 235:34 PM EDTEF0Jones, NC0.220
June 235:47 PM MDTEF0Washington, CO0.150
June 236:15 PM MDTEF0Washington, CO0.150
June 2311:04 PM MDTEF0Hooker, NE0.120
June 2312:52 AM CDTEF0Dawson, NE5.175$40,000

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.