Alert archive / Montana / Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in 2026

Severe Thunderstorm Warning 16, NWS Missoula, MT

July 23, 2026Deer Lodge County, Silver Bow County, Montana

NWS Missoula, MT issued this severe thunderstorm warning at Jul 23, 2026, 10:35 PM MDT for Deer Lodge County, Silver Bow County, Montana. It was in force for 25 min. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued: Jul 23, 2026, 10:35 PM MDT (04:35 UTC)
Expired: Jul 23, 2026, 11:00 PM MDT
In force: 25 min
Issued by: NWS Missoula, MT
Area: Storm-based polygon
Hail: 1.0 in
Wind: 60.0 mph

Counties Deer Lodge County, MT, Silver Bow County, MT

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 146 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 04:34 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

The nearest sounding before it

Boise Airport, ID (KBOI), launched 00:00Z, 4.6 hours before the alert went out and 376 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-p

Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.

Hodograph

The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.

Mixed-layer CAPE: 249 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN: -134 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL: 3324 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear: 44 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity: 18 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity: 158 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter: 0.0
Supercell composite: 0.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this severe thunderstorm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this severe thunderstorm warning went out at Jul 23, 11:41 AM MDT, 10 hours 54 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 23, 11:41 AM MDT, 10 hours 54 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
1141 AM MDT Thu Jul 23 2026

.DISCUSSION...

KEY MESSAGES:

-  Strong to severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening
   across north-central Idaho, tracking toward the Montana state
   line. Hazards include gusts up to 60 mph and up to 1-inch
   hail.

-  Elevated fire weather (hot, dry, breezy) starting Friday and lasting
   into the weekend region-wide.

-  Worsening wildfire smoke degrading air quality and reducing
   visibility.

The region remains on the western periphery of a large- scale
upper-level ridge. Persistent synoptic descent and subsidence
aloft will maintain, hot, dry, and smoky conditions with no
widespread precipitation anticipated through the weekend.

Despite broad subsidence, localized thermodynamic forcing will
help to trigger strong to severe convection today (1:00 PM - 10:00
PM). Effective shear (~40 kt), modest CAPE (~1,000 J/kg), and
high DCAPE (~1,500 J/kg) will support organized discrete storms
initiating near the Snake River canyon in north-central Idaho
tracking northeastward to the ID/MT border. The strongest storms
in this environment will be capable of producing damaging winds up
to 60 mph and hail up to 1-inch in diameter. Climatologically
high moisture availability (PWATS > 1 inch) will yield brief
heavy downpours, but rapid storm movement will prevent concerns
for flash flooding. There is a 10-20% chance that decaying storms
reach the I-90 corridor late this evening which may bring a gusty
outflow threat to the area.

Breezy southwesterly winds Friday through Sunday will combine with
low humidity and hot temperatures to elevate fire weather
concerns. Red Flag Warnings are not currently being issued due to
live fuels and soil moisture remaining relatively high for this
time of year and wind speeds only on the edge of what would be an
immediate concern for fire weather products. Nonetheless,
elevated fire weather conditions and increased active fire
behavior is to remain expected on any active burns or new
ignitions.

Deep SW flow will continually transport Washington and Oregon
wildfire smoke into ID/MT, maintaining poor air quality and
decreased visibilities across the region. No Heat Advisories are
planned as of yet due to overnight temperature recovery and
shading from smoke limiting absolute maximum temperatures during
the peak of the afternoon hours.

&&

.AVIATION... Wildfire smoke (FU/HZ) remains the primary prevailing
hazard, causing periods of MVFR visibilities through the next
couple days especially noticeable near sunset, through the
overnight and into mid-morning with some clearing each afternoon
due to deep mixing. Ridgetop winds increase to about 30 knots
through today out of the west and southwest with surface wind
gusts as high as 30 knots possible region-wide during peak
heating.

Strong to severe convection today mostly targets KGIC from
23/2200z to 24/0300z (isolated gusts up to 60 mph possible, hail
up to 1 inch in diameter). Activity decays to the northeast near
I-90 where prob30 groups remain for elevated winds at KHRF and
KMSO.

Hot temperatures, especially Friday, will impact aircraft
performance particularly at higher-elevation terminals like KBTM.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
ID...None.
&&

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 23, 8:50 PM MDT, 1 hour 45 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:05 PM MDT, 1 hour 30 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:17 PM MDT, 1 hour 18 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 9:51 PM MDT, 44 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 10:15 PM MDT, 20 minutes before

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Special weather statement, Jul 23, 10:16 PM MDT, 19 minutes before

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The office that day

Everything else NWS Missoula, MT issued on the same UTC day.

Issued	Product	Office	Counties	Lasted
Jul 23, 8:13 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Ravalli	32 min
Jul 23, 8:35 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO		25 min
Jul 23, 8:38 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Mineral	37 min
Jul 23, 8:50 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Ravalli	25 min
Jul 23, 9:10 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MSO	Mineral, Missoula	35 min
Jul 23, 9:17 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Granite	28 min
Jul 23, 9:43 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MSO	Missoula	32 min
Jul 23, 9:51 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Granite	24 min
Jul 23, 10:15 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Powell	30 min
Jul 23, 10:16 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Deer Lodge, Granite, Silver Bow	29 min
Jul 23, 11:01 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Silver Bow	29 min
Jul 23, 11:43 PM MDT	Areal Flood Advisory	MSO	Silver Bow	2 hr
Jul 24, 12:15 PM MDT	Red Flag Warning	MSO	Beaverhead, Jefferson, Madison, Silver Bow	31 hr
Jul 23, 6:31 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Lewis	29 min
Jul 23, 7:24 PM MDT	Severe Thunderstorm Warning	MSO	Clearwater	36 min
Jul 23, 7:44 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Idaho	31 min
Jul 23, 8:01 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Clearwater	14 min
Jul 23, 9:05 PM MDT	Special Weather Statement	MSO	Idaho	25 min

Nearby

Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Montana, 2026 Every severe thunderstorm warning in 2026

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.