EF1 tornado in Grand Forks County, North Dakota

This tornado passed about a half-mile south Merrifield and was viewed by motorists as it crossed Interstate 29 near the Merrifield Road overpass. The tornado dissipated in a housing development about a mile south of Kings Walk Golf Course. Trees were ravaged and uprooted at several farmsteads and homesteads along the damage path. Peak winds were estimated at 90 mph.

A cold front moved across North Dakota on the 26th, with a hot and humid airmass in place ahead of the front. At 6 pm CST, a surface low was located over southern Manitoba (Canada), just north of Pembina, ND. The cold front stretched to the southwest, back toward Devils Lake (ND) and Bismarck (ND). Ahead of the cold front, temperatures ranged in the low to mid 80s with dew points around 70F. Behind the front, temperatures did not cool significantly, but dew points dropped to the mid 40s. Thunderstorms began to form along and ahead of the cold front by early evening (from northeast ND into south central ND), eventually crossing into northwest Minnesota several hours later. Eight distinct tornadoes occurred over northeast North Dakota and northwest Minnesota during this event.