A tornado watch has been issued into tonight for most of central and eastern North Dakota, including the Jamestown, Valley City, Carrington, Edgeley, Ellendale and LaMoure areas. The watch lasts until 10:00 p.m. tonight in Jamestown.
The National Weather Service says a few tornadoes are possible somewhere in the region. A couple could be strong. Tornado warnings were already issued and later allowed to expire for areas around Morton and Burleigh counties earlier this afternoon during severe thunderstorms near the Bismarck-Mandan area.
The NWS says much of eastern North Dakota should prepare for damaging winds at times, with gusts up to around 70 miles per hour. There is also likely to be damaging hail in spots, with tennis ball-sized hail already reported earlier today in western North Dakota.
Today’s Tornado Watch includes Stutsman, Barnes, Foster, LaMoure and Dickey counties, along with much of the rest of eastern North Dakota and parts of northwest Minnesota.
This comes after a busy weekend of severe weather in the Dakotas. The National Weather Service in Bismarck says a Saturday evening tornado north of Belfield has now been rated EF-1, with estimated peak winds of 90 miles per hour. No injuries were reported. The Weather Service also logged a public tornado report Sunday evening near Riverdale in McLean County, and a radar-indicated tornado warning Saturday evening near Hettinger.
South of North Dakota, the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen reported wind gusts of 131 miles per hour early Monday near Holabird and Highmore, South Dakota. Survey crews also found straight-line wind damage near Andover, where winds were estimated between 65 and 100 miles per hour.
Multiple storm chasers have traveled into eastern North Dakota in anticipation of tonight’s severe weather. Those self-described “extreme meteorologists” have provided glimpses into multiple high-intensity tornadoes in North and South Dakota this year.
Residents and travelers are urged to have multiple ways to receive emergency alerts from local authorities. Know where the best shelter is in your immediate vicinity and be ready to move there if tornado warnings are issued. Those areas are typically on the lowest level of a home or solid structure, away from windows. In homes without basements, a small interior bathroom or closet often offers the best protection.
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