Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, July 5, 1988

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Montana, July 5, 1988
Start: 1988-07-05T13:30
End: 1988-07-05T22:00
Location: Montana

July 5, 1988 · NWS GTF · 21 events in 7 counties and zones

11 tornado, 5 hail, 5 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 2
Property damage: $303,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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

11 tornado, 5 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Lewis and Clark

When: July 5, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Lewis and Clark County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 46.580, -112.080

Hail, Cascade

When: July 5, 2:49 PM CST
Where: Cascade County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 47.520, -111.180

Hail, Chouteau

When: July 5, 2:55 PM CST
Where: Chouteau County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 47.580, -110.800

Hail, Chouteau

When: July 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Chouteau County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 47.630, -110.570

Thunderstorm Wind, Deer Lodge

When: July 5, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Deer Lodge County
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Coordinates: 46.130, -112.950

Hail, Hill

When: July 5, 4:45 PM CST
Where: Hill County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 48.380, -109.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Hill

When: July 5, 5:25 PM CST
Where: Hill County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 48.550, -109.680

Tornado, Chouteau

When: July 5, 4:30 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 47.720, -109.830

Tornado, Chouteau

When: July 5, 4:45 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County
Rating: F3
Path length: 12 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 47.970, -109.980

Tornado, Chouteau

When: July 5, 4:45 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 47.870, -109.920

Tornado, Cascade

When: July 5, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Cascade County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 47.400, -111.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When: July 5, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Valley County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 48.200, -106.630

Tornado, Chouteau

When: July 5, 5:40 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 47.930, -110.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When: July 5, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Valley County
Measured: 80 kt (92 mph)
Coordinates: 48.380, -105.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When: July 5, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Valley County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 48.850, -106.400

Tornado, Valley

When: July 5, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Valley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.520, -106.030

Tornado, Valley

When: July 5, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Valley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.520, -106.030

Tornado, Valley

When: July 5, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Valley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.520, -106.030

Tornado, Valley

When: July 5, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Valley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.520, -106.030

Tornado, Valley

When: July 5, 8:30 PM MST
Where: Valley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.520, -106.030

Tornado, Sheridan

When: July 5, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Sheridan County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 10 yd
Coordinates: 48.950, -104.050

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 1988 Every state in 1988 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Montana, 1988 Warnings in Montana, July 1988

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: 10072564, 10072565, 10072566, 10072567, 10072568, 10072572, 10072574, 10072569, 10072570, 10072571, 10072573, 10072576, 10072575, 10072577, 10072578, 10072579, 10072580, 10072581, 10072582, 10072583, 10072584.