Montana, 1978

Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 4, 1978

July 4, 1978 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

2 tornado, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Valley

When
July 4, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Valley County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
48.400, -106.000

Tornado, Fallon

When
July 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Fallon County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
46.650, -104.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When
July 4, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Custer County
Coordinates
46.250, -105.250

Thunderstorm Wind, Dawson

When
July 4, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Dawson County
Coordinates
47.100, -104.730

What these are

Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 1978Every state in 1978This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Montana, 1978

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10070258, 10070259, 10070260, 10070261.