Hail, Petroleum
- When
- August 2, 5:35 PM MST
- Where
- Petroleum County, Flatwillow
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 46.830, -108.400
Wheat crops in around the community of Scobey were completely flattened by severe thunderstorm winds and large hail.
Flash Flooding and Hail in Montana, August 2 to 27, 1997
24 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 2 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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
- $50,000
- Crop damage
- $127,000
- Events
- 37
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.
The radar
The Billings radar (KBLX), 110 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:34 UTC.
Event by event
24 thunderstorm wind, 11 hail, 2 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Valley
- When
- August 2, 6:20 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, Nashua
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.130, -106.350
Hail, Valley
- When
- August 2, 6:25 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, Nashua
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.130, -106.350
Hail, Valley
- When
- August 2, 6:40 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, Frazer
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.050, -106.030
Hail, Valley
- When
- August 2, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, 8 mi N of Opheim
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.970, -106.400
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 2, 8:45 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, 10 mi N of Peerless
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.950, -105.820
Thunderstorm Wind, Richland
- When
- August 2, 9:10 PM MST
- Where
- Richland County, 2 mi NW of Savage
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Coordinates
- 47.470, -104.380
Thunderstorm winds downed power lines and large trees.
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 8, 1:30 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, Four Buttes
- Measured
- 60 kt (69 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.820, -105.600
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 8, 1:35 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, Peerless to Four Buttes
- Crop damage
- $50,000
- Coordinates
- 48.800, -105.820
Thunderstorm winds and hail completely flattened wheat crops in a ten mile long path.
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 8, 1:40 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, 4 mi NW of Four Buttes
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $75,000
- Coordinates
- 48.850, -105.670
Thunderstorm winds destoryed a house trailer and flattened soon to be combined wheat. One field of corn was completely stripped of its leaves.
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 8, 1:45 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, Madoc
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.820, -105.280
Thunderstorm Wind, Sheridan
- When
- August 8, 2:20 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan County, 7 mi N of Raymond
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.980, -104.570
Thunderstorm Wind, Valley
- When
- August 14, 7:54 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, 8 mi SE of Hinsdale
- Measured
- 53 kt (61 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.320, -106.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Valley
- When
- August 14, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, 8 mi SE of Hinsdale
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.320, -106.970
Thunderstorm Wind, Valley
- When
- August 14, 8:05 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, 10 mi NW of Glasgow
- Measured
- 57 kt (66 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.300, -106.780
Thunderstorm Wind, Valley
- When
- August 14, 8:14 PM MST
- Where
- Valley County, Glasgow
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.200, -106.630
Thunderstorm Wind, Sheridan
- When
- August 27, 1:45 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan County, 10 mi N of Raymond
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph)
- Coordinates
- 49.030, -104.570
Thunderstorm Wind, Sheridan
- When
- August 27, 2:05 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan County, 10 mi N of Westby
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 49.020, -104.050
Thunderstorm Wind, Sheridan
- When
- August 27, 2:15 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan County, 12 mi NW of Westby
- Crop damage
- $2,000
- Coordinates
- 48.980, -104.230
Thunderstorm winds blew 800 pound hay bales off of a truck.
Hail, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 2:48 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, 25 mi N of Wolf Pt
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.470, -105.650
Hail, Daniels
- When
- August 27, 3:00 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, 5 mi SW of Scobey
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.750, -105.500
Hail, Daniels
- When
- August 27, 3:10 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, 20 mi SW of Scobey
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.600, -105.730
Thunderstorm Wind, McCone
- When
- August 27, 3:50 PM MST
- Where
- McCone County, 20 mi SW of Vida
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 47.630, -105.800
Hail, McCone
- When
- August 27, 4:15 PM MST
- Where
- McCone County, 11 mi NW of Circle
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Coordinates
- 47.530, -105.770
Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels
- When
- August 27, 4:30 PM MST
- Where
- Daniels County, 16 mi S of Flaxville
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.570, -105.170
Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 4:30 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, 32 mi N of Poplar
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.570, -105.200
Hail, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 5:25 PM MST to 5:35 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, Froid
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Coordinates
- 48.330, -104.500
One inch hail covered the ground to a depth of 3-6 inches.
Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 5:25 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, Froid
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.330, -104.500
Thunderstorm Wind, Sheridan
- When
- August 27, 5:30 PM MST
- Where
- Sheridan County, 5 mi E of Homestead
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.430, -104.380
Flash Flood, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 5:50 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, Froid
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Rain falling at the rate of 5 inches in one hour incombination of 3 to 6 inches of hail caused flooding in the town of Froid. Highway 16, which runs through the middle of town, was under 2 feet of water.
Thunderstorm Wind, Richland
- When
- August 27, 6:34 PM MST
- Where
- Richland County, Sidney
- Measured
- 63 kt (72 mph)
- Coordinates
- 47.700, -104.150
Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 6:40 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, 8 mi N of Bainville
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.250, -104.220
Thunderstorm Wind, Phillips
- When
- August 27, 6:46 PM MST
- Where
- Phillips County, Malta
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.350, -107.870
Thunderstorm Wind, Phillips
- When
- August 27, 6:52 PM MST
- Where
- Phillips County, Malta
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Coordinates
- 48.350, -107.870
Hail, Dawson
- When
- August 27, 8:40 PM MST
- Where
- Dawson County, 10 mi N of Lindsay
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Coordinates
- 47.370, -105.150
Flash Flood, Roosevelt
- When
- August 27, 9:15 PM MST to 11:30 PM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt County, Froid
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Thunderstorm Wind, Dawson
- When
- August 27, 9:36 PM MST
- Where
- Dawson County, Glendive
- Measured
- 64 kt (74 mph)
- Coordinates
- 47.100, -104.730
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.
- Flash Flood
- Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Tornadoes and Hail in North Dakota, August 2 to 31, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in North Dakota, August 2, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, August 2, 1997
- Tornado and Hail in South Dakota, August 2, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in South Dakota, August 2, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, August 2, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, August 2, 1997
- High Wind in Alaska, August 2 to 3, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, August 2, 1997
- Lightning Strike in Idaho, August 2, 1997
- Cold in Alabama, August 2, 1997
- Cold in Alabama, August 2, 1997
More
Every storm in Montana in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, August 1997
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: 5612878, 5612879, 5612880, 5612881, 5612882, 5612883, 5612884, 5612885, 5612886, 5612887, 5612888, 5612890, 5612891, 5612892, 5612893, 5612894, 5612895, 5612896, 5612897, 5612898, 5612899, 5612901, 5612900, 5612902, 5612903, 5612904, 5612905, 5612906, 5612907, 5612908, 5612909, 5612910, 5612911, 5612912, 5613000, 5613001, 5613002.