Thunderstorm Wind — Cass, North Dakota

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

Event narrative

Strong winds hit the West Fargo area, knocking down trees, power lines, and signs. A motel on Main Avenue was damaged as well as numerous roofs. A block of storage sheds were blown apart, with debris damaging vehicles and apartments in the area. 4300 people were without power. At the West Fargo airport, a hanger was demolished, wrecking the Cessna 182 parked inside. A skydiver group who owned the hanger lost most of their equipment inside, some blowing over a half mile away. Some contents of the hanger were found inside a home to the east of the airport. This home had its roof torn off and windows blown in. This allowed some of the debris from the airport hanger to get inside the house. A fireworks tent was flattened, with most of the fireworks inside destroyed because of the rain. 55 power poles were knocked down in the West Fargo area, some snapped at ground level. Several motorhomes at the West Fargo Fairgrounds were overturned, with no injuries reported. A set of bleachers and a press box at the old West Fargo High School were also flattened. On Main Avenue, a 100,000 bushel grain bin was wrecked.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (46.8800, -96.8800)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5708795. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.