Hail in Montana, August 21, 2002

Name: Hail in Montana, August 21, 2002
Start: 2002-08-21T13:45
End: 2002-08-21T16:05
Location: Montana

August 21, 2002 · NWS MSO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms with large hail moved across the southern Bitterroot Valley and the Sapphire and Pintlar Mountain regions. Hail sizes ranged from 1/2 to 3/4 inch with these storms.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms with large hail moved across the southern Bitterroot Valley and the Sapphire and Pintlar Mountain regions. Hail sizes ranged from 1/2 to 3/4 inch with these storms. Some accumulation was reported in the Conner area with damage to fruit trees.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 21, 1:00 PM MST, 45 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 21, 1:00 PM MST, 45 minutes before

WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
200 PM MDT WED AUG 21 2002

.SHORT TERM...UPPER LOW SPINNING OVER THE OREGON/IDAHO BORDER IS
SENDING A RATHER VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE NORTH INTO CENTRAL IDAHO. THIS
FEATURE IS INITIATING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS IN CENTRAL IDAHO THIS
HOUR. THE UPPER WAVE IS EXPECTED TO TAKE A NORTHEAST TRACK OVER THE
MISSOULA FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING...AND INITIATE/AMPLIFY SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS OVER MAINLY THE MONTANA ZONES. THE COLD POOL ALOFT
ASSOCIATED WITH THIS LOW IS ENHANCING THE LAPSE RATES OVER THE REGION
AND HAS LOWERED FREEZING LEVELS TO THE 10K FT RANGE. THERE IS ALSO
SOME DECENT SHEAR IN THE MID LEVELS. SPC HAS SENT A MESO DISCUSSION
ADDRESSING THESE FEATURES...SO COULD SEE SOME SEVERE STORMS THIS
EVENING. A DRY SLOT IS EXPECTED TO GET ENTRENCHED IN THE FLOW AND CUT
OFF THE PRECIPITATION FROM SOUTH TO NORTH OVERNIGHT. THE UPPER LOW
WILL BEGIN TO RETROGRADE THURSDAY OVER TO EASTERN WASHINGTON. HOWEVER
THE ATMOSPHERE WILL REMAIN SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE FOR AFTERNOON AND
EVENING THUNDERSTORMS. FRIDAY THE LOW WILL ONCE AGAIN SHIFT EAST AND
BEGIN TO OPEN INTO A TROF. ALSO...MOISTURE WILL BE CHANNELED INTO
THE MONTANA PORTION OF THE ZONES ON SOUTHEAST FLOW. EXPECT SOME
EVENING CONVECTION...MAINLY ALONG THE DIVIDE...WITH THIS TREND
CONTINUING INTO SATURDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE ON A BIT OF A
ROLLER COASTER TREND AS THIS UPPER LOW/TROF RAISES AND LOWERS HEIGHTS
OVER THE REGION THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. GUIDANCE NUMBERS ALSO
SHOWING THIS TREND WITH SIMILAR NUMBERS.       MEAD

.LONG TERM...MODELS CONTINUE TO HOLD THE UPPER TROF OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST INTO THE EXTENDED. TROF LINGERS THROUGH MONDAY WITH SOME
UPPER RIDGING DAYS TUE AND WED. WILL GO WITH DRIER FCST TUE/WED WITH
BUILDING RIDGE. TEMPERATURES LOOK TO BE A TAD COOLER THAN GOING
FORECAST ESPECIALLY SUNDAY AND MONDAY. WILL BUMP TEMPS DOWN A BIT
ACROSS THE CWA. KPB

.MSO...NONE.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB BBE 048/082 050/087 052/083 27621131
     EBBU 047/076 046/080 045/081 047/083 2924420000
FCA BEE 046/078 048/084 050/080 27611132
     EBBU 044/072 043/075 042/077 044/079 2924421100
POL BEE 049/076 052/082 054/079 27611132
     EBUU 049/074 050/076 049/078 051/080 2924421100
MSO BEE 046/079 048/084 050/080 27612232
     EBUU 047/076 046/077 045/079 047/080 2923321100
HMM BBB 048/077 049/081 050/077 27612132
     BBUU 047/076 046/077 045/079 047/080 2912210100
BTM BEB 039/076 043/078 044/075 27712332
     BBUU 042/072 041/072 040/074 042/071 2912201000
ORO EBB 053/082 056/088 058/084 27311111
     BBUU 054/082 053/084 052/086 054/092 2911120000
GRV EBB 049/080 051/084 052/081 27411111
     BBUU 049/075 048/079 047/081 049/084 2911110000
SMN BBB 041/078 044/082 048/080 27512232
     BUUU 046/078 045/078 044/080 046/081 2911100100

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Deer Lodge

When: August 21, 1:45 PM MST to 2:05 PM MST
Where: Deer Lodge County, Anaconda
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.133, -112.950

Hail, Powell

When: August 21, 2:30 PM MST to 3:16 PM MST
Where: Powell County, 3 mi S of Deer Lodge
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.350, -112.717

Hail, Ravalli

When: August 21, 3:10 PM MST to 4:05 PM MST
Where: Ravalli County, Conner
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.933, -114.133

What these are

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

Every storm in Montana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, August 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: 5313929, 5313930, 5313931.