Thunderstorm Wind in Itasca County, Minnesota

Roy Jasper Flug of Goodland MN, drowned when the boat he was fishing from on Swan Lake capsized in the high wind and waves that developed due to the thunderstorms.

A slow-moving warm front across central Minnesota on July 2nd moved through northeast Minnesota during that night. A cluster of severe thunderstorms developed across north-central Minnesota during the early evening of the 2ndand moved east through southern parts of the Iron Range and weakened as it spread into the Duluth area later on that night. Widespread wind damage occurred with numerous downed trees. Thousands of customers were without power; some for many days. A 49 year-old man drowned when the boat he was fishing from on Swan Lake capsized in the high wind and waves. The highest measured gust with the storms was 61 mph at Cass Lake, however, unofficial reports put the wind gusts near 80 mph. The hardest hit area was in northern Cass County and Itasca County, along the U. S. Highway 2 corridor.