Thunderstorm Wind — Cass, North Dakota

1999-07-04 · near Fargo, Cass, North Dakota

Event narrative

Thunderstorms producing strong winds hit the Fargo area, causing widespread damage. On the north side of town, Hector Airport had winds in excess of 50 knots for 39 minutes, with a peak speed of 79 knots at 0642 CST. A dozen airplanes at Hector Airport were damaged, some landing upside down. Several hangers were also damaged. The NDSU station just west of campus reported a maximum wind speed of 51 knots. Power was knocked out to the ASOS unit at the airport for 2 days. 35,000 people in Fargo were without power for various times. Apartment buildings were hit particularly hard, with roof damage quite common. This was especially true in the West Acres area on the west side of Fargo. Huge chunks of roofs were blown off, exposing individual apartment units. A 48 unit apartment building under construction was completely blown down. One apartment garage blew off its foundation and into a parked car nearby. At NDSU, the Dairy Research Facility lost parts of its roof and a wall was blown in. Many stop lights, satellite dishes, and advertising signs were twisted or damaged. Several garages were also blown down. A seasonal greenhouse along 13th Avenue southwest was ripped apart. The JCPenney store at West Acres Shopping Center lost a portion of its roof, allowing the rain to damage some contents inside. Skateland, a roller-skating facility, had its roof torn halfway off, exposing its maplewood floor. The rain caused the floor to instantly warp. This business alone estimated damages at $1 million. Several extra large transmission poles just west of West Acres were also toppled. There were reports of some minor cuts to people, but nothing was officially confirmed.

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Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5708713. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.