Montana, 1998Tornado and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998
July 4, 1998 · NWS BYZ · 19 events in 4 counties and zones
9 hail, 3 funnel cloud, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 2 flash flood, 1 tornado, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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
Open the live radar over this ground
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $7.0 million
- Crop damage
- $1.5 million
- Events
- 19
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
9 hail, 3 funnel cloud, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 heavy rain, 2 flash flood, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Funnel Cloud, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 7:28 PM MST to 7:56 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, Laurel
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.937, -108.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several spotters and amateur radio operators reported funnel clouds in and around Laurel.
Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud
- When
- July 4, 8:00 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
- Where
- Rosebud County, Forsyth
- Property damage
- $10,000
- Reported by
- NEWSPAPER
- Coordinates
- 46.270, -106.670
A blowing tree branch severed a high voltage power line cutting off power to most of the Forsyth area for 90 minutes.
Tornado, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:05 PM MST to 8:06 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 1 mi N of Billings Hgts
- Rating
- F0
- Path length
- 0.1 mi
- Path width
- 5 yd
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.830, -108.520
A spotter reported that a small tornado briefly touched down near the intersection of Alexander Road and Highway 87.
Funnel Cloud, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:10 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 2 mi E of Billings Hgts
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.937, -108.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several spotters and amateur radio operators reported funnel a funnel cloud to the east of Billings Heights.
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:10 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 2 mi E of Shepherd
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.950, -108.320
Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:13 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, Billings
- Measured
- 52 kt (60 mph)
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 45.800, -108.480
An eight inch tree limb fell across the southbound lane on main street in Billings.
Heavy Rain, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:13 PM MST to 8:43 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 4 mi E of Huntley
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.937, -108.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
1.5 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes.
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:15 PM MST to 8:35 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, Billings
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Property damage
- $4.0 million
- Crop damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.800, -108.480
Several reports of hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter were reported in and around Billings from spotters, amateur radio operators and law enforcement. The hail severely damaged several cars and roofs. The hail also caused heavy damage to crops in the Billings area.
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:20 PM MST to 8:35 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, Lockwood
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.780, -108.430
Several reports of quarter sized hail in the Lockwood area.
Funnel Cloud, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:25 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 2 mi W of Worden
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 45.937, -108.274 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A 911 operator reported a funnel cloud two miles west of Worden.
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:30 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 1 mi S of Worden
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.950, -108.170
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 8:30 PM MST to 8:43 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, 4 mi E of Huntley
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Crop damage
- $500,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.900, -108.250
Nickel sized hail covered the ground two inches deep near the Osbourne Project. The hail also did crop damage to wheat, corn and barley.
Hail, Custer
- When
- July 4, 8:55 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, 4 mi N of Miles City
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.450, -105.830
Flash Flood, Custer
- When
- July 4, 8:55 PM MST to 9:55 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, 20 mi NW of Miles City
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 46.253, -105.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
About an inch of rain in one hour caused water to cover Dead Mans Road in several places because of flash flooding.
Hail, Yellowstone
- When
- July 4, 9:00 PM MST to 9:30 PM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone County, Huntley
- Measured
- 2.5 in hail
- Property damage
- $2.0 million
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 45.900, -108.320
Numerous reports of tennis ball sized hail causing numerous damages to vehicles and homes in and around Huntley.
Heavy Rain, Rosebud
- When
- July 4, 9:20 PM MST to 9:40 PM MST
- Where
- Rosebud County, 20 mi S of Rosebud
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.230, -106.731 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Close to two-thirds of an inch of rain fell in a 20 minute period.
Flash Flood, Custer
- When
- July 4, 9:30 PM MST to 10:30 PM MST
- Where
- Custer County, Miles City
- Property damage
- $1.0 million
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 46.253, -105.572 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Several streets were closed in Miles City because of flash flooding. Basements of several homes and businesses were flooded.
Hail, Big Horn
- When
- July 4, 9:30 PM MST to 9:45 PM MST
- Where
- Big Horn County, Hardin
- Measured
- 0.88 in hail
- Reported by
- EMERGENCY MANAGER
- Coordinates
- 45.730, -107.600
Several reports of nickel to dime sized hail and heavy rains in Hardin.
Hail, Rosebud
- When
- July 4, 10:25 PM MST
- Where
- Rosebud County, 12 mi E of Colstrip
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Property damage
- $1,000
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 45.880, -106.330
Golf ball sized hail broke several windows in a house.
- Funnel Cloud
- A rotating column of cloud extending from a thunderstorm that did not reach the ground.
- 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.
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Heavy Rain
- Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
- 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.
- Damaging Wind in Florida, July 4, 19981 death · 65 kt wind · 1 event
- Tornadoes and Flash Flood in North Dakota, July 4 to 20, 1998$1.4 million · F0 · 52 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Montana, July 4, 1998$1.5 million · F1 · 23 events
- Tornado in Indiana, July 4, 1998$200,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind and Heavy Rain in Kansas, July 4, 1998$335,000 · 52 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Wind in Kansas, July 4, 1998$262,000 · 52 kt wind · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Texas, July 4, 19986 injured · 1 event
- Flash Flood in New Mexico, July 4, 1998$100,000 · 1 event
- Tornado in Texas, July 4, 1998$30,000 · F1 · 1 event
- Hail in Nebraska, July 4, 1998$75,000 · 0.88 in hail · 1 event
- Flash Flood in Nebraska, July 4, 1998$50,000 · 1 event
- Lightning Strike in Louisiana, July 4, 19983 injured · 1 event
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: 5658063, 5658159, 5658064, 5658065, 5658066, 5658067, 5658072, 5658068, 5658069, 5658070, 5658071, 5658073, 5658153, 5658154, 5658074, 5658157, 5658155, 5658156, 5658158.