Wildfire, Meagher
- When
- August 12, 11:00 AM MST to August 13, 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- Meagher County, 23 mi N of White Sulphur Spgs
- Coordinates
- 46.598, -110.886 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Montana, August 12 to 13, 1996
Sparks from a logging operation in the Little Belt mountains started a forest fire. Very dry conditions and strong winds caused the fire to expand quickly.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
What happened
The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.
Sparks from a logging operation in the Little Belt mountains started a forest fire. Very dry conditions and strong winds caused the fire to expand quickly. By noon the next day, 2600 acres had been burned. $250,000 worth of logging equipment was destroyed when the fire initially blew up. The fire continued to burn for several days, but lighter winds and fire-fighting efforts kept the fire from spreading any further. The town of Neihart was threatened, but suffered no damage.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 12, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 12, 1996
- Flash Flood in North Carolina, August 12, 1996
- Tornado in Texas, August 12, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 12, 1996
- Heavy Rain in New Jersey, August 12 to 13, 1996
- Flood in Florida, August 12, 1996
- Damaging Wind in Texas, August 12, 1996
- Rip Current in Florida, August 12, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Texas, August 12, 1996
- Lightning Strike in Texas, August 12, 1996
- Heavy Rain in Maryland, August 12 to 13, 1996
More
Every storm in Montana in 1996Every state in 1996This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, August 1996
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: 5568091.