Thunderstorm Wind in Hubbard County, Minnesota

Ground survey and high resolution satellite confirmed a long swath of widespread destructive straight-line winds estimated between 80 and 90 mph across far northern Hubbard County. The surge of winds and associated 30 mile long damage swath started upstream in Clearwater County and spread across southern Beltrami and northern Hubbard county. The widest part of the swath was almost 12 miles wide from just north of Bemidji to its southern edge in northern Hubbard county. The highest winds and greatest damage were in the Bemidji area. There was approximately 53,609 acres of northern Hubbard County impacted with widespread tree damage within this single swath.

During the evening of Friday, June 20th into the early morning hours of June 21st, much of the region was affected by severe weather. A powerful line of severe thunderstorms categorized as a derecho, which tracked across much of the region, including northwest Minnesota, brought widespread straight line wind damage. After the derecho passed through the region, there was a period of prolonged destructive winds that affected portions of central and east central North Dakota, as well as adjacent portions of Minnesota. This was a unique event due to the long duration of significant winds that followed the derecho.