Deluge was hit and miss

Friday's severe weather was a hit-and-miss affair for Fargo-Moorhead.

While 1.92 inches pummeled south Fargo in an hour Friday afternoon, north Fargo's Hector International Airport reported .16 inch, said the National Weather Service.

Meteorologist Gary Votaw said northeast Fargo received 1.75 inches of rain in 10 minutes. Yet West Fargo police said the storm didn't seem to move west of 45th Street.

When Lee Berreth left work from West Fargo, it wasn't even sprinkling, he said.

But when he attempted to reach his apartment near the South University Kmart, he couldn't get to the parking lot because of the flash flooding. Berreth waited in a nearby parking lot until the water went down.

Other areas in Fargo that were prone to flash flooding included the 1400 block of 25th Street, Arrowhead Road and the intersection of South University Drive and Interstate 94, Fargo police said.

The weather service also received flash flood reports from 30th Avenue South in Moorhead.

Clay County Lt. Bruce Fleury said heavy rain stopped traffic on Highway 75 near Kragness, between 4:30 and 5 p.m. But drivers exercised caution and the storm didn't cause accidents, he said.

Varying rainfall amounts aren't unusual for thunderstorms, Votaw said, because the storms are often not very wide.

Friday's storms were primarily stationary, he said.

"They developed over one area and stayed around a while," Votaw said.

The weather service received reports of dime-sized hail in Fargo-Moorhead and Twin Valley, Georgetown, and McIntosh, Minn. Hail that size doesn't usually cause much damage, Votaw said.

A weak tornado touched down five miles west of Ogema, Minn., just before 5 p.m., but Votaw said it didn't cause anything but minor tree damage.

Storms interrupted some area sporting events. The Red River Valley Speedway called off auto racing. The RedHawks baseball game started about 90 minutes late and the North Dakota state girls soccer tournament was held up for an hour.

The Moorhead soccer invitational tournament was delayed. Eleven games were rescheduled for 7 a.m. today.

Rib fans lucked out Friday as the worst of the storm missed Rib Fest in north Fargo.

Fargodome Executive Director Paul Johnson said it rained moderately for about 20 minutes, but just sprinkled after that.

South Fargo's Lois Emerson wasn't so lucky, but she made the best of it.

Emerson rode her bike to Kmart and got stuck there during the storm. She waited about half an hour before venturing back to her West Country Club Drive home.

But she stayed as dry as possible by using one large plastic bag as a poncho and several shopping bags to cover her shoes and hands.

"I was just thankful I had my bike hat on," Emerson said.

Readers can reach Forum reporter Amy Dalrymple at (701) 241-5590