Friday night, a powerful derecho ripped through the northern Great Plains, bringing tornadoes and destructive winds.
At least three people were killed, thousands lost power, and the storm left a trail of damage across homes and farmland in the Midwest.
Some farmers reported hail as big as three inches, wiping out entire fields.
USDA Meteorologist Brad Rippey says that the size of this storm really stood out.
“Now, one of the definitions on a derecho is that it has to last for at least 400 miles of geographic distance, and if you look at the measurement from, say, southeastern Montana into the upper Great Lakes region, that was more than 600 miles of wind damage reports across that northern tier of the United States, so easily reaching that 400 mile criteria. There were a number of reports showing verified wind gusts in the 80-100 miles per hour range, all the way from southwestern North Dakota, right through the South Central and Central part of the state. Moved into Bismarck, for example, and then exited all the way through the Red River Valley, hitting parts of Grand Forks southward through Fargo. So, not only was this event several 100 miles long, but it had a width that was about half the state of North Dakota. So a fairly significant width as well on the derecho event.”
The North Dakota Ag Commissioner weighed in today, extending his sympathies to the families of those lost. He also recognized the significant damage farms are facing and will continue to face this harvest season due to damaged grain bins, irrigation systems, and equipment.
