Sawyer, ND Hail Storm – September 2026

A hail-producing storm tracked through Sawyer, North Dakota on September 3, 2026, producing a maximum 2.68-inch stone and generating repeated radar-detected hail alerts from early morning into late evening.

What Happened

The event spanned more than 18 hours of detections and product messages. NWS alerts for the Sawyer metro began before dawn and continued through the late evening, with 35 total alerts issued between 4:50 AM CDT and 11:29 PM CDT. The alert stream alternated between dual-polarization radar detections and NWS warning-only messages. Several radar-derived hail detections exceeded 1.5 inches during the late afternoon and evening hours, and multiple alerts around 7:11 PM CDT and 9:10 PM CDT reported 2.0-inch radar signatures.

Spotter and public submissions tracked with the radar timeline. Broadcast media shared photos of a large hailstone near Tulaby Lake at 4:23 PM CDT that spotters estimated at about 2.3 inches. A storm chaser live stream around 7:15 PM CDT captured hail consistent with 1.75 inches, with location established via geolocation. Later evening submissions included a 2.25-inch mPING report at 9:08 PM CDT and law enforcement reporting roughly 2-inch hail north of Miltona at 9:35 PM CDT. Smaller but widespread quarter- to nickel-sized hail was reported during mid-afternoon and again after 9:00 PM CDT.

Dual-polarization radar detections and the pattern of NWS warning-only alerts indicate a complex, multi-cell event rather than a single, continuous supercell track. Activity concentrated in late afternoon into early evening produced the largest observable stones and the most spotter activity.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and imagery point to localized large-stone impacts near Tulaby Lake and northeast of Miltona. Broadcast media photos near Tulaby Lake showed stones estimated between 2 and 2.5 inches in diameter. Multiple social media images and a law-enforcement report place egg-sized hail and widespread two-inch observations just north and northeast of Miltona in the 9:00–9:40 PM CDT window. An mPING submission at 9:08 PM CDT recorded a Hen Egg+ (2.25 in.) observation.

Other reports indicate more moderate surface impacts across the broader corridor. A storm chaser live stream at 7:15 PM CDT noted hail up to golf-ball size in the streamer’s immediate area. NWS-local reports also recorded quarter-sized stones roughly 16 miles north of Park Rapids at 4:59 PM CDT and nickel-to-quarter-sized hail during late evening reports. The available local storm reports and observer submissions did not include formal accounts of structural roof failures or widespread infrastructure loss in the submitted set. Damage evidence in the report set is limited to photographic and observer descriptions of large stones and expected vehicle and exterior finish impacts at the specific locations noted above.

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