Damaging Wind in Montana, April 14, 2002

Name: Damaging Wind in Montana, April 14, 2002
Start: 2002-04-14T12:45
End: 2002-04-14T12:45
Location: Montana

April 14, 2002 · NWS BYZ · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 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: 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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 8:03 AM MST, 4 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 14, 8:03 AM MST, 4 hours 42 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
903 AM MDT SUN APR 14 2002

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR TDY...MON...TUE...
MINOR CHANGES TO ZFP...NO CHANGES TO AFP. CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY
SHOWING SHORTWAVE ENERGY SWINGING THROUGH PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND INTO
SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALBERTA. SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW OVER ALBERTA WITH COLD FRONT DROPPING SOUTH INTO
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON AND LEE SIDE TROUGH BISECTING CWA. AS WAVE
CONTINUES WEST-NORTHWEST TRACK COLD FRONT WILL FLATTEN OUT AS IT HEADS
TOWARD MONTANA...AND BE ORIENTED SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST BY EVENING. AS
FRONT APPROACHES AND TROUGH PULLS OUT WINDS WILL TURN FROM CURRENT
SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION OVER MUCH OF CWA TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST. WILL
TWEAK WIND WORDING FOR THIS MORNING...WITH STRONGEST WINDS COMING AS
FRONT PASSES. CURRENT FORECAST TEMPS LOOK ON TRACK WITH WARM START AND
COMPRESSIONAL HEATING. SHOULD SEE BREAKS IN CLOUDS THIS AFTERNOON AS
WELL TO HELP WARMING. CONVECTION STILL LOOKS ON TRACK ALONG FRONT...WITH
POSSIBLE GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. NEW ETA SLOWING DOWN FRONT.
WILL TWEAK POPS AND WORDING IN BHK AND 4BQ AREAS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS
TIMING...BUT WILL LEAVE POPS IN BULK OF CWA AS IS. JZ

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR WED...THU...FRI...SAT...
COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER LOOKS TO BE SETTING UP BY MID WEEK INTO
THE WEEKEND. LARGE TROUGH STILL PROGGED TO THE WEST OF OUR FORECAST
AREA. MODELS LINE UP WELL FOR WED WITH ITS PLACEMENT OVER WASHINGTON AND
OREGON. BY THURS...DIFFERENCES BEGIN TO SHOW. THE MRF PLACES THE
TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH THE UKMET PLACING IT FURTHER
SOUTHWEST. THE ECMWF IS QUITE DIFFERENT AS IT WANTS TO CLOSE THE TROUGH
OFF OVER NEVADA BY FRI WHILE THE MRF QUICKLY MOVES IT OUT ACROSS THE
EASTERN DAKOTAS...BRINGING IN A STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW. IN ADDITION...
THERE LOOKS TO BE A GOOD DEAL OF INSTABILITY ASSOC. WITH THIS WAVE WED
NIGHT INTO THURS. TIME HEIGHTS SHOW A DEEP LAYER OF RH AND NEGATIVE
OMEGA FROM THE SFC TO 300MB...AS WELL AS SFC CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE
ALOFT DURING THAT TIME. HAVE DECIDED TO INCREASE POPS FOR WED NIGHT AND
THURS.

TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO START TO TAKE A DOWNWARD TREND. THICKNESS VALUES
BY WED EVENING WILL BE AROUND 540DAM AND AROUND 525DAM BY FRI MORNING.
WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON TEMPS AS SOME OF THE PRECIP COULD BE IN THE
FORM OF SNOW SHOWERS BUT FOR NOW WILL GO WITH RAIN SHOWERS. GUIDANCE
TEMPS...ESPECIALLY THE FMR LOOK TOO WARM AND WILL TREND MORE WITH THE
MEX. BY LATE FRI INTO SAT A NW FLOW ALOFT WILL RETURN WHICH WILL KEEP
TEMPS A BIT COOLER. HOWEVER...THIS FAR OUT WILL NOT CHANGE DAY 6 & 7
TEMPS. HOOLEY

    TDY MON     TUE     WED     THU     FRI     SAT
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 080 037/048 031/050 028/048 028/050 030/055 035/061
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
LVM 075 033/044 029/046 025/047 025/053 032/057 032/059
    7/N 78/O    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
HDN 084 036/050 030/052 026/050 026/050 033/058 033/063
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
MLS 081 037/050 035/052 026/045 026/048 026/053 034/061
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
4BQ 084 038/046 034/050 026/046 026/049 027/054 034/061
    3/N 64/W    73/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
BHK 080 036/049 033/051 025/044 025/047 025/052 033/059
    6/N 64/W    73/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
SHR 082 039/048 030/053 027/048 027/050 032/055 032/061
    3/W 67/R    72/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B

.BYZ...NONE.

FXUS65 KBYZ 141504
AFDBIL

SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
903 AM MDT SUN APR 14 2002

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR TDY...MON...TUE...
MINOR CHANGES TO ZFP...NO CHANGES TO AFP. CURRENT WATER VAPOR IMAGERY
SHOWING SHORTWAVE ENERGY SWINGING THROUGH PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND INTO
SOUTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALBERTA. SURFACE ANALYSIS SHOWING
ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW OVER ALBERTA WITH COLD FRONT DROPPING SOUTH INTO
EASTERN WASHINGTON AND OREGON AND LEE SIDE TROUGH BISECTING CWA. AS WAVE
CONTINUES WEST-NORTHWEST TRACK COLD FRONT WILL FLATTEN OUT AS IT HEADS
TOWARD MONTANA...AND BE ORIENTED SOUTHWEST TO NORTHEAST BY EVENING. AS
FRONT APPROACHES AND TROUGH PULLS OUT WINDS WILL TURN FROM CURRENT
SOUTHEASTERLY DIRECTION OVER MUCH OF CWA TO THE WEST AND SOUTHWEST. WILL
TWEAK WIND WORDING FOR THIS MORNING...WITH STRONGEST WINDS COMING AS
FRONT PASSES. CURRENT FORECAST TEMPS LOOK ON TRACK WITH WARM START AND
COMPRESSIONAL HEATING. SHOULD SEE BREAKS IN CLOUDS THIS AFTERNOON AS
WELL TO HELP WARMING. CONVECTION STILL LOOKS ON TRACK ALONG FRONT...WITH
POSSIBLE GUSTY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. NEW ETA SLOWING DOWN FRONT.
WILL TWEAK POPS AND WORDING IN BHK AND 4BQ AREAS TO ACCOUNT FOR THIS
TIMING...BUT WILL LEAVE POPS IN BULK OF CWA AS IS. JZ

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR WED...THU...FRI...SAT...
COOL AND UNSETTLED WEATHER LOOKS TO BE SETTING UP BY MID WEEK INTO
THE WEEKEND. LARGE TROUGH STILL PROGGED TO THE WEST OF OUR FORECAST
AREA. MODELS LINE UP WELL FOR WED WITH ITS PLACEMENT OVER WASHINGTON AND
OREGON. BY THURS...DIFFERENCES BEGIN TO SHOW. THE MRF PLACES THE
TROUGH OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH THE UKMET PLACING IT FURTHER
SOUTHWEST. THE ECMWF IS QUITE DIFFERENT AS IT WANTS TO CLOSE THE TROUGH
OFF OVER NEVADA BY FRI WHILE THE MRF QUICKLY MOVES IT OUT ACROSS THE
EASTERN DAKOTAS...BRINGING IN A STRONG NORTHERLY FLOW. IN ADDITION...
THERE LOOKS TO BE A GOOD DEAL OF INSTABILITY ASSOC. WITH THIS WAVE WED
NIGHT INTO THURS. TIME HEIGHTS SHOW A DEEP LAYER OF RH AND NEGATIVE
OMEGA FROM THE SFC TO 300MB...AS WELL AS SFC CONVERGENCE AND DIVERGENCE
ALOFT DURING THAT TIME. HAVE DECIDED TO INCREASE POPS FOR WED NIGHT AND
THURS.

TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO START TO TAKE A DOWNWARD TREND. THICKNESS VALUES
BY WED EVENING WILL BE AROUND 540DAM AND AROUND 525DAM BY FRI MORNING.
WILL HAVE TO KEEP AN EYE ON TEMPS AS SOME OF THE PRECIP COULD BE IN THE
FORM OF SNOW SHOWERS BUT FOR NOW WILL GO WITH RAIN SHOWERS. GUIDANCE
TEMPS...ESPECIALLY THE FMR LOOK TOO WARM AND WILL TREND MORE WITH THE
MEX. BY LATE FRI INTO SAT A NW FLOW ALOFT WILL RETURN WHICH WILL KEEP
TEMPS A BIT COOLER. HOWEVER...THIS FAR OUT WILL NOT CHANGE DAY 6 & 7
TEMPS. HOOLEY

    TDY MON     TUE     WED     THU     FRI     SAT
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 080 037/048 031/050 028/048 028/050 030/055 035/061
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
LVM 075 033/044 029/046 025/047 025/053 032/057 032/059
    7/N 78/O    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
HDN 084 036/050 030/052 026/050 026/050 033/058 033/063
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
MLS 081 037/050 035/052 026/045 026/048 026/053 034/061
    6/N 64/W    42/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
4BQ 084 038/046 034/050 026/046 026/049 027/054 034/061
    3/N 64/W    73/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
BHK 080 036/049 033/051 025/044 025/047 025/052 033/059
    4/N 64/W    73/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B
SHR 082 039/048 030/053 027/048 027/050 032/055 032/061
    3/W 67/R    72/W    23/E    44/W    22/E    20/B

.BYZ...NONE.

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 113 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:42 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Wheatland

When: April 14, 12:45 PM MST
Where: Wheatland County, Harlowton
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.433, -109.817

What these are

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, April 2002

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: 5284718.