Thunderstorm Wind in McLean County, North Dakota

About 30 camping trailers at Heckers Lake and New Johns Lake were damaged and destroyed, with many overturned. Some of the campers came to rest in the water. One fatality occurred at Heckers Lake as an individual was outside his camper, and the camper blew over onto him. Four injuries were also reported in the camping areas

around New Johns and Heckers Lakes.

An extremely unstable atmosphere combined with very strong deep layer wind shear set the stage for intense thunderstorm development. Initially, thunderstorms were supercells, and formed along a warm front that lifted through North Dakota in the afternoon and evening hours. One of the supercell thunderstorms produced flash flooding in Dunn and Mercer counties, while another produced 3.50 inch diameter hail over Wells County. During the evening and overnight hours a line of intense thunderstorms developed along a cold front that swept into western North Dakota, and tracked eastward across the state. Widespread wind damage occurred throughout much of western and central North Dakota, but the strongest winds centralized generally along and about 20 miles north and south of Highway 200, where episodes of microburst enhanced winds occurred. Within this corridor, many grain bins were lost, farm buildings and campers damaged or destroyed, and trees uprooted or snapped. The greatest wind damage occurred near Stanton, Mercer County, where a microburst with estimated 130 mph winds destroyed a farm. One fatality occurred at Heckers Lake in McLean County as an individual was outside a camper, and the camper tipped over onto him. There were also four injuries in that area around New Johns and Heckers lakes where many campers were damaged or destroyed, some being blown into the lakes.