Montana, 1998

Hail and Lightning Strike in Montana, September 18, 1998

September 18, 1998 · NWS GGW · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

2 hail, 1 lightning, as filed by the National Weather Service.

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

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The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

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Event by event

2 hail, 1 lightning. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Petroleum

When
September 18, 5:30 PM MST
Where
Petroleum County, 35 mi NE of Winnett
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One man died after lightning struck him and a friend while the two were bow hunting. The two were hunting between Crooked Creek and Barrel Springs when a thunderstorm moved overhead. The two took cover under a tree. Lightning struck the pair knocking both unconscious. When the one man awoke he tried to revive his friend and then went for help. Help arrived in the remote area about two hours after the strike. The second man was pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m.

Hail, Prairie

When
September 18, 7:15 PM MST
Where
Prairie County, Terry
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.780, -105.300

Hail, Prairie

When
September 18, 7:30 PM MST
Where
Prairie County, Terry
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.780, -105.300

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Lightning, Petroleum1998-09-1837MaleUnder TreeDirect

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, September 1998

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: 5661211, 5661209, 5661210.