Damaging Winds in Montana, August 4, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Montana, August 4, 2002
Start: 2002-08-04T20:59
End: 2002-08-04T22:30
Location: Montana

August 4, 2002 · NWS GGW · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

3 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: 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 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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 4, 7:20 PM MST, 1 hour 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 4, 7:20 PM MST, 1 hour 39 minutes before

NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
820 PM MDT SUN AUG 4 2002

.SHORT TERM...THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY CONTINUES ACROSS SOUTHERN AND
CENTRAL MONTANA. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWING LARGE 500 MB TROUGH
EDGING IN ACROSS THE PACNW AND BRITISH COLUMBIA. THIS TROUGH HAS
INDUCED A SURFACE LOW OVER WYOMING...WITH AN INVERTED TROUGH UP INTO
CENTRAL MONTANA. STORMS HAVE FIRED OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF
MONTANA AND IN THE VICINITY OF THIS SURFACE TROUGH AXIS. HIGHEST
SURFACE BASED INSTABILITY EXTENDS FROM JUST WEST OF BILLINGS INTO
SOUTHERN PHILLIPS COUNTY. FURTHER NORTHEAST FRONTAL INVERSION
KEEPING ANY INSTABILITY ELEVATED. STORMS HAVE BEEN WEAKENING AS A
RESULT AS THEY MOVE FURTHER NORTHEAST INTO OUR CWA. HOWEVER EXPECT
STORMS TO THE SOUTH AND WEST TO MOVE INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA...WITH A
LOW CHANCE ACROSS THE NORTHEASTERN ZONES...AND HIGHER SOUTH AND
WEST. WILL DROP WATCH 576 AS MOST THUNDERSTORMS TO THE WEST HAVE
DROPPED BELOW SEVERE CRITERIA AND DON/T EXPECT MUCH STRENGTHENING.
WINDS ARE STILL STRONG OUT OF THE EAST WITH A STRONG PRESSURE
GRADIENT OVER MUCH EASTERN MONTANA. THESE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE
WITH THIS SET UP CONTINUING THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. SURFACE
WARM FRONT NEAR THE NORTHEAST WY/SOUTHEAST MT BORDER WITH A
TEMPERATURE GRADIENT EXTENDING UP THROUGH EASTERN MONTANA. TONIGHT/S
FORECASTED LOWS LOOK REASONABLE WITH NEAR 50 IN THE NORTHEAST
ZONES...TO THE LOWER 60S IN THE SOUTHWEST ZONES. WILL UPDATE TO
LOWER POPS...OTHERWISE FORECAST LOOKS REASONABLE.  BERDES

.LONG TERM...UPPER TROUGH MOVES INLAND ON THURSDAY. MRF FURTHER
SOUTH THAN ECMWF WITH TROUGH AND NOW BRINGS IT ACROSS MONTANA ON
FRIDAY. 12Z AVN DIGS THIS TROUGH EVEN FURTHER INTO WYOMING. WILL
MAINTAIN GOING FORECAST OF A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THU AND FRI
WITH LOWER TEMPERATURES FRIDAY. FLOW ALOFT TURNS ZONAL AFTER TROUGH
EXITS OVER THE WEEKEND. FORRESTER

KGGW TTB 054/085 062/092 062/087 79444333
     BBBB 059/083 059/075 054/084 053/084 7933332000
KGDV TTB 060/089 063/092 063/088 79344333
     BBBB 060/085 060/080 054/085 055/084 7933332000

.GGW...LAKE WIND ADVISORY TONIGHT FOR FORT PECK LAKE.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Aug 4, 7:12 PM MST, 1 hour 47 minutes before

MTZ021>027-050315-

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
812 PM MDT SUN AUG 4 2002

...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH CANCELLED FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...

THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH FOR SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER IN
NORTHEAST MONTANA HAS BEEN CANCELLED. THERE IS A CHANCE OF
THUNDERSTORMS OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT. HOWEVER...
NONE OF THEM ARE EXPECTED TO BECOME SEVERE.

KEEP LISTENING TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST FORECAST FROM THE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.

FORRESTER

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Petroleum

When: August 4, 8:59 PM MST
Where: Petroleum County, 30 mi N of Winnett
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.433, -108.350

60 mph wind gust reported by spotter 30 miles north of Winnett.

Thunderstorm Wind, Phillips

When: August 4, 10:05 PM MST
Where: Phillips County, 27 mi SSE of Malta
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.983, -107.650

65 mph wind reported by spotter 27 miles southsoutheast of Malta.

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When: August 4, 10:30 PM MST
Where: Garfield County, 37 mi NW of Jordan
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.700, -107.450

60 mph wind reported by spotter 37 miles northwest of Jordan.

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, 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: 5317007, 5317008, 5317009.