Review of the August 25th and 26th, 2018 Severe Weather Event

Tornadoes:

NWS storm damage surveys confirmed two distinct tornadoes associated with thunderstorms on the night of August 26, 2018. These tornadoes impacted far northeastern Norman County, eastern Polk County, and north central Clearwater County in northwestern Minnesota. Additional track information can be found below.

Tornado 1 - 9 SW Winger to 5 WNW Fosston NORMAN/POLK COUNTIES Date August 26, 2018 Time (Local) 11:30 - 11:46 pm EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 110 mph Path Length 16 miles Max Width 100 yards Injuries/Deaths None Summary: This tornado first touched down near a farmstead 9 miles southwest of Winger. Numerous barns, sheds, and outbuildings were damaged, along with the loss of a portion of the roof from a farmhouse. The tornado caused periodic tree damage before encountering another farmstead 3.5 miles to the northeast. Numerous trees were snapped at this location, along with a destroyed outbuilding, grain bins rolled off of their foundation and tossed 100-200 yards, and roof damage to a farmhouse. Additional tree damage occurred before the tornado reached the city of Winger. Numerous houses within the city saw roof and siding damage, several grain bins were destroyed, and dozens of trees were uprooted or had trucks snapped. The tornado then tracked several more miles to the northeast before lifting 5 miles west-northwest of Fosston. Track Map (click to enlarge)

Tornado 2 - 3 NNE Fosston to 9 NNE Leonard POLK/CLEARWATER COUNTIES Date August 26-27, 2018 Time (Local) 11:51 pm - 12:12 am EF Rating EF-1 Est. Peak Winds 100 mph Path Length 26 miles Max Width 200 yards Injuries/Deaths None Summary: This tornado touched down north-northeast of Fosston, tracking northeast along County Road 3. South of Pine Lake, dozens of acres of sunflowers were badly damaged. Along the northeast shores of Pine Lake, several campers and pontoons were tossed or rolled, and several lakeside cabins had broken windows and badly damaged or partially removed roofs. Lakeside pontoons and boats were damaged, with one pontoon tossed about 100 yards onto the shore, and dozens of trees were snapped, uprooted, or otherwise damaged. Several miles northeast of Clearbrook, two farm outbuildings sustained major roof damage, and one house had a wooden stake driven into its steel roof. Throughout its northeast track, the tornado touched down intermittently, badly damaging, uprooting, or snapping over 200 trees. Track Map (click to enlarge)

The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale classifies tornadoes into the following categories:

EF0 Weak 65-85 mph	EF1 Moderate 86-110 mph	EF2 Significant 111-135 mph	EF3 Severe 136-165 mph	EF4 Extreme 166-200 mph	EF5 Catastrophic 200+ mph

Wind & Hail:

The strongest wind gusts occurred during the evening of Sunday, August 26th, into the early morning hours of Monday, August 27th. A line of thunderstorms over north central North Dakota continued to track east, affecting areas mainly north of Highway 2 with strong wind gusts. Some of the strongest wind gusts occurred over Pembina County, North Dakota and Polk County, Minnesota. It was fairly cool and dry across this area on the afternoon of August 26th, but the dryness allowed the stronger winds aloft to push to the surface. Details on storm damage can be found in the storm reports section.

SPC Products

Here are various Storm Prediction Center products that were issued during the latter half of the event.

SPC Day 1 Convective Outlook (1630Z)	SPC Mesoscale Discussion (1360)	SPC Mesoscale Discussion (1361)	SPC Mesoscale Discussion (1365)

SPC Mesoscale Discussion (1367)	SPC Tornado Watch	SPC Severe Thunderstorm Watch	NWS Grand Forks Warnings Issued

Photos & Video:

Humboldt MN (permission from Chris Batch Koland)	Pine Lake MN. near Gonvick (permission from Dan Johnson)	Pine Lake MN, near Gonvick (permission from Dan Johnson)	Winger MN (permission from Tracy Monson)

Humboldt MN (permission from Chris Batch Koland)	Humboldt, MN (permission from Chris Batch Koland)	Pine Lake MN, near Gonvick (permission from Dan Johnson)

Radar:

10 pm Sat - 4 am Sun	4 am Sun - 10 am Sun	10 am Sun - 4 pm Sun	4 pm Sun - 10 pm Sun

	10 pm Sun - 4 am Mon	Winger MN Rotation Tracks

Winger MN Reflectivity Closeup

Winger MN Velocity Closeup

Storm Reports

Preliminary August 25th Damage Reports	Preliminary August 26th Damage Reports

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE EASTERN ND/GRAND FORKS ND
1040 AM CDT THU AUG 30 2018

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0110 AM     HAIL             TOWER CITY              46.93N 97.68W 
08/26/2018  E0.88 INCH       CASS               ND   PUBLIC          

            PICTURE RELAYED THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA SHOWS NICKEL SIZED 
            HAIL. 

0154 AM     TSTM WND GST     5 N LEONARD             46.72N 97.25W 
08/26/2018  M59.00 MPH       CASS               ND   MESONET         

0210 AM     HAIL             DAVENPORT               46.71N 97.07W 
08/26/2018  E2.50 INCH       CASS               ND   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC REPORTS 2 - 2.5 INCH HAIL WITH DAMAGE TO CAR AND 
            BARN. RELAYED THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA, TIME ESTIMATED BASED 
            ON RADAR. 

0210 AM     HAIL             DAVENPORT               46.71N 97.07W 
08/26/2018  E1.50 INCH       CASS               ND   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC REPORT OF HAIL DAMAGE TO HOME WINDOWS AND DENTS IN
            CAR. TIME ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR. 

0221 AM     HAIL             4 S HORACE              46.70N 96.90W 
08/26/2018  E1.50 INCH       CASS               ND   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC REPORTED 1.5 INCH HAIL. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. 

0230 AM     HAIL             HICKSON                 46.67N 96.81W 
08/26/2018  E1.50 INCH       CASS               ND   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC REPORTS GOLF BALL TO PINGPONG SIZED HAIL WITH 
            CRACKED CAR WINDSHIELD. RELAYED THROUGH LOCAL MEDIA, TIME
            ESTIMATED BASED ON RADAR. 

0235 AM     HAIL             COMSTOCK                46.66N 96.75W 
08/26/2018  E1.00 INCH       CLAY               MN   PUBLIC          

            PUBLIC CALLED IN WITH REPORT OF STEADY NICKEL TO QUARTER 
            SIZED HAIL. 

0616 PM     HAIL             WHITE EARTH             47.10N 95.84W 
08/26/2018  E1.00 INCH       BECKER             MN   PUBLIC          

            DIME TO QUARTER SIZED HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN

0831 PM     TSTM WND GST     2 N MADDOCK             47.99N 99.53W 
08/26/2018  M49.00 MPH       BENSON             ND   MESONET         

            NDAWN

0910 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 SE HAMPDEN            48.53N 98.64W 
08/26/2018  M65.00 MPH       RAMSEY             ND   MESONET         

            RAWS SITE REPORTED 65 MPH WIND GUST. TIME ESTIMATED BY 
            RADAR. 

0912 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 S DEVILS LAKE         48.07N 98.87W 
08/26/2018  M62.00 MPH       RAMSEY             ND   MESONET         

            WIND GUST REPORTED AT RAWS SITE

0916 PM     HAIL             8 W LITCHVILLE          46.66N 98.36W 
08/26/2018  E1.00 INCH       BARNES             ND   PUBLIC          

0920 PM     TSTM WND GST     8 SE DEVILS LAKE        48.03N 98.75W 
08/26/2018  M62.00 MPH       RAMSEY             ND   MESONET         

            ND DOT STATION REPORTED 62 MPH WIND GUST. TIME ESTIMATED 
            BY RADAR. 

0940 PM     HAIL             VALLEY CITY             46.92N 98.01W 
08/26/2018  E0.75 INCH       BARNES             ND   PUBLIC          

1000 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 S WALES               48.87N 98.60W 
08/26/2018                   CAVALIER           ND   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            A FEW LARGE BRANCHES OF OVER 6 INCH DIAMETER DOWN. TIME 
            APPROXIMATE.

1010 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 NNW CAVALIER          48.85N 97.66W 
08/26/2018  M56.00 MPH       PEMBINA            ND   MESONET         

            NDAWN STATION

1010 PM     TSTM WND GST     CAVALIER                48.80N 97.62W 
08/26/2018  M58.00 MPH       PEMBINA            ND   MESONET         

            ASOS REPORTED 58 MPH WIND GUST. TIME ESTIMATED BY RADAR. 


1024 PM     TSTM WND GST     9 E CRYSTAL             48.60N 97.47W 
08/26/2018  M51.00 MPH       PEMBINA            ND   MESONET         

            NDAWN 2WSW OF SAINT THOMAS

1025 PM     TSTM WND GST     3 SSW HAMILTON          48.77N 97.48W 
08/26/2018  M71.00 MPH       PEMBINA            ND   MESONET         

            DAVIS 

1037 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 E PEMBINA             48.97N 97.22W 
08/26/2018  M63.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   MESONET         

            RWIS

1038 PM     TSTM WND GST     4 S HUMBOLDT            48.86N 97.09W 
08/26/2018  M70.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   MESONET         

            NDAWN MEASURED THE WIND GUST. TREES WERE UPROOTED IN THE 
            AREA AND POWER POLES WERE SNAPPED. NUMEROUS POWER OUTAGES
            WERE REPORTED.

1043 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 W KENNEDY             48.64N 97.04W 
08/26/2018  M58.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   MESONET         

            NDAWN

1043 PM     TSTM WND DMG     5 S WARREN              48.12N 96.77W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   PUBLIC          

            2-3 INCH TREE BRANCHES BROKEN OFF 

1054 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 S HALLOCK             48.75N 96.94W 
08/26/2018  M66.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   AWOS            

1055 PM     TSTM WND GST     DONALDSON               48.57N 96.90W 
08/26/2018  M60.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   MESONET         

            RWIS

1057 PM     TSTM WND GST     1 NE STEPHEN            48.46N 96.86W 
08/26/2018  M53.00 MPH       MARSHALL           MN   MESONET         

1100 PM     TSTM WND DMG     PEMBINA                 48.97N 97.25W 
08/26/2018                   PEMBINA            ND   CO-OP OBSERVER  

            WIND GUSTS TO 63 MPH AT ST. VINCENT. WINDS KNOCKED OUT 
            POWER FOR A LARGE PORTION OF TOWN. MANY SMALL TO LARGE 
            BRANCHES DOWN ALONG WITH A FEW TREES. WINDS ALSO TIPPED 
            OVER A SEMI SOUTH OF TOWN TRAVELING NORTH ON I-29. TIME 
            APPROXIMATE. CORRECTED FOR TIME.

1105 PM     TSTM WND GST     LAKE BRONSON            48.73N 96.66W 
08/26/2018  E60.00 MPH       KITTSON            MN   PUBLIC          

            BRANCHES DOWN IN A YARD.

1130 PM     TORNADO          9 SW WINGER             47.44N 96.12W 
08/26/2018                   NORMAN             MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            STORM DAMAGE SURVEY CONFIRMED EF-1 TORNADO TRACKED 16 
            MILES FROM 9 MILES SW OF WINGER TO 5 MILES WNW OF 
            FOSSTON. NUMEROUS BARNS, SHEDS, AND OUTBUILDINGS WERE 
            DAMAGED, NUMEROUS HOUSES IN WINGER SAW ROOF AND SIDING 
            DAMAGE, AND DOZEN OF TREES WERE UPROOTED OR HAD TRUNKS 
            SNAPPED.

1130 PM     TSTM WND DMG     4 NW GOODRIDGE          48.19N 95.87W 
08/26/2018                   MARSHALL           MN   PUBLIC          

            TWO TREES DOWN IN THE FARM YARD. 2.25 INCHES OF RAIN.

1130 PM     TSTM WND DMG     8 ENE FLAMING           47.50N 96.11W 
08/26/2018                   NORMAN             MN   PUBLIC          

            A FARMHOUSE AND SEVERAL FARM OUTBUILDINGS WERE DAMAGED. 
            MULTIPLE TREES WERE UPROOTED OR SNAPPED.

1140 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WINGER                  47.54N 95.99W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   PUBLIC          

            REPORTS OF GRAIN BINS DOWN AND BUILDING DAMAGE. RELAYED 
            FROM BROADCAST MEDIA FROM THEIR SOCIAL MEDIA SITE. 

1140 PM     TSTM WND DMG     WINGER                  47.54N 95.99W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   PUBLIC          

            TREES DOWN ON HWY 59. REPORTED VIA SOCIAL MEDIA. 

1150 PM     TSTM WND DMG     FOSSTON                 47.58N 95.75W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            SCATTERED TREE LIMBS BROKEN, MAINLY SMALL AND A FEW 
            LARGE, THROUGHOUT THE CITY OF FOSSTON 

1151 PM     TSTM WND DMG     2 ESE FOSSTON           47.57N 95.71W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            CELL PHONE TOWER CRUMBLED AND BENT TO THE GROUND. TWO 
            SATELLITE RECEIVER DISHES DESTROYED. ROOFS RIPPED OFF OF 
            TWO TALL GRAIN STORAGE BINS. ESTIMATED PEAK WIND GUSTS OF
            90 TO 100 MPH STRAIGHT LINE WINDS.

1151 PM     TORNADO          3 NNE FOSSTON           47.62N 95.72W 
08/26/2018                   POLK               MN   NWS STORM SURVEY

            STORM DAMAGE SURVEY CONFIRMED AN EF-1 TORNADO 
            INTERMITTENTLY TRACKED 26 MILES FROM 3 MILES NNE OF 
            FOSSTON TO 9 MILES NNE OF LEONARD. SEVERAL CABINS AND 
            FARM OUTBUILDINGS AND ONE HOUSE HAD DAMAGED ROOFS, 
            SEVERAL CAMPERS AND BOATS WERE TOSSED AND DAMAGED, CROPS 
            WERE DAMAGED, AND OVER 200 TREES WERE BADLY DAMAGED, 
            UPROOTED, OR HAD TRUNKS SNAPPED.

1151 PM     TSTM WND GST     FOSSTON                 47.58N 95.75W 
08/26/2018  M66.00 MPH       POLK               MN   AWOS            

            WIND SENSOR STOPPED REPORTING AT 1151PM SO ACTUAL WIND 
            SPEEDS COULD HAVE BEEN HIGHER.

1155 PM     TSTM WND DMG     10 ENE GRYGLA           48.35N 95.42W 
08/26/2018                   BELTRAMI           MN   PUBLIC          

            TREES AND BRANCHES DOWN NEAR NORTHWOOD CHURCH. TIME 
            ESTIMATED BY OBSERVER.

1204 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CLEARBROOK              47.69N 95.43W 
08/27/2018                   CLEARWATER         MN   PUBLIC          

            PINE TREES DOWN. RELAYED FROM BROADCAST MEDIA FROM THEIR 
            SOCIAL MEDIA SITE.

1205 AM     TSTM WND DMG     4 S GONVICK             47.68N 95.51W 
08/27/2018                   CLEARWATER         MN   PUBLIC          

            SEVERAL RECREATIONAL VEHICLES WERE ROLLED AND MULTIPLE 
            TREES WERE SNAPPED OR UPROOTED AT PINE LAKE.

1230 AM     HAIL             9 E ROCHERT             46.86N 95.50W 
08/27/2018  E0.75 INCH       BECKER             MN   PUBLIC          

            THE HAIL FELL ON THE EAST SIDE OF TOAD LAKE.

1231 AM     TSTM WND DMG     2 SSW CLEMENTSON        48.67N 94.45W 
08/27/2018                   LAKE OF THE WOODS  MN   PUBLIC          

            RECEIVED PHOTOS ON SOCIAL MEDIA OF NUMEROUS TREES AND 
            LARGE LIMBS DOWN WITH SOME STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. TIME 
            ESTIMATED FROM RADAR.

1235 AM     TSTM WND DMG     SAUM                    47.97N 94.68W 
08/27/2018                   BELTRAMI           MN   PUBLIC          

            SEVERAL LARGE TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN.

1240 AM     TSTM WND DMG     3 S WASKISH             48.12N 94.51W 
08/27/2018                   BELTRAMI           MN   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            MULTIPLE TREES WERE BLOWN DOWN, SEVERAL FALLING ACROSS 
            HIGHWAY 72.

0100 AM     TSTM WND DMG     CLEMENTSON              48.69N 94.44W 
08/27/2018                   LAKE OF THE WOODS  MN   PUBLIC          

            NUMEROUS TREES TWISTED AND SNAPPED AT THE CLEMENTSON 
            RESORT.

0155 AM     TSTM WND DMG     5 N PENNINGTON          47.56N 94.48W 
08/27/2018                   BELTRAMI           MN   EMERGENCY MNGR  

            MULTIPLE TREES DOWN ACROSS HIGHWAY 39 ALONG A 5 MILE 
            STRETCH


&&

Rain Reports

These do not cover rainfall amounts for the entire weekend, just from Sunday morning through Monday morning.

Environment

1 PM Sunday Surface Map	4 pm Sunday Surface Map	7 pm Sunday Surface Map

10 pm Sunday Surface Map	1 am Monday Surface Map	4 am Monday Surface Map

4 pm Sunday MLCAPE	4 pm Sunday Precipitable Water	5 pm Sunday Sig Tor Parameter