Hail in Montana, August 7, 2002

Name: Hail in Montana, August 7, 2002
Start: 2002-08-07T15:14
End: 2002-08-07T16:14
Location: Montana

August 7, 2002 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm moved across Butte with large hail reported by weather spotters. A few cars were damaged by the hail and up to one inch of accumulation was reported during the event.

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: 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 happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm moved across Butte with large hail reported by weather spotters. A few cars were damaged by the hail and up to one inch of accumulation was reported during the event.

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 7, 1:00 PM MST, 2 hours 14 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 1:00 PM MST, 2 hours 14 minutes before

WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
200 PM MDT WED AUG 7 2002

.SHORT TERM...UPPER LOW IN EASTERN OREGON IS USHERING IN SHOWERS
INTO WESTERN MT THIS AFTERNOON. MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT AS
TO THE POSITION OF THE UPPER LOW...THOUGH THE AVN MOVES IT EAST
FASTER. PREFER THE ETA SOLN. THESE SHOEWRS WILL CONTINUE MOST OF THE
EVENING IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE UPPER LOW WILL SETTLE INTO NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA THURSDAY AND CLOSE OFF. EXPECT
FOR PRECIP TO WRAP AROUND THE LOW THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT ALONG
SOUTHWEST MT INTO ZONE 43. UPPER LOW FINALLY PUSHES EAST THU NIGHT
AND ALLOWS FOR RIDGING INTO THE AREA FRI. RIDGE WILL WARM TEMPS TO
NEAR SEASONABLE LEVELS IN THE UPPER 70S  WITH A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW
THROUGH SAT MORNING. ANOTHER SHORT WAVE AND TROF IS PROGGED TO MOVE
THROUGH THE AREA BEGINNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THE FOCUS OF PRECIP
WITH THIS FRONT AND TROF WILL BE MAINLY IN THE NORTHERN ZONES FOR THE
CURRENT AVN MODEL HAS THE UPPER LOW SKIRTING THE CANADIAN BORDER THEN
MOVING BACK TO THE NORTHEAST. UNSEASONABLY COOL TEMPS...IN THE 60S
AND LOWER 70S ARE EXPECTED THU AND SAT. RPN

.LONG TERM...NORTHWEST FLOW AND COOLER WEATHER THAN NORMAL TO
DOMINATE THE WEATHER FROM SUNDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. TWO SHORTWAVES
WILL AFFECT THE AREA THROUGH THIS TIME. THE FIRST MOVES THROUGH
SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY BRINGING A DECENT SHOT AT RAIN ACROSS
MAINLY THE CWA...AND FOCUSED IN THE MOUNTAINS. MONDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY LOOKS TO BE THE LEAST CHANCES...AS WE WILL STILL BE IN
NORTHWEST FLOW...BUT DRIER. THE ONLY SHOT AT SHOWERS WILL BE THE
HIGHEST TERRAIN ALONG THE DIVIDE. THE SECOND SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE IN
TUESDAY NIGHT AND APPEARS TO BE MAINLY A REINFORCEMENT OF COOLER
AIR. THE CHANCE OF SHOWERS WILL AGAIN MAINLY BE IN THE MOUNTAINS AND
ACROSS THE NORTHERN CWA.  DICKSON

.MSO...NONE.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB BBB 044/070 046/080 048/079 40000002
     BBBB 049/073 045/073 046/078 047/079 3710000010
FCA BBB 041/068 049/076 047/077 40133012
     EBBB 048/071 044/071 045/072 046/074 3710000010
POL BBB 045/068 046/077 048/078 40133001
     BBBB 054/068 049/072 050/074 051/070 3710000010
MSO WBB 044/067 045/077 048/079 40253000
     BBBB 049/076 045/076 046/075 047/077 3710000010
HMM WBB 047/066 041/077 046/078 40253000
     BBBB 047/075 043/075 044/074 045/076 3710000010
BTM WBB 041/058 045/070 043/076 40376000
     BBBB 044/074 040/070 042/072 043/074 3700000010
ORO BBB 050/077 049/083 058/082 40000000
     BBBB 059/078 055/081 056/081 057/083 3700000000
GRV BBB 045/072 051/080 052/077 40000000
     BBBB 053/075 049/076 050/078 051/080 3700000000
SMN BBB 044/065 044/074 046/078 40243000
     BBBB 047/076 043/074 044/076 045/078 3700000000

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Silver Bow

When: August 7, 3:14 PM MST to 4:14 PM MST
Where: Silver Bow County, Butte
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.000, -112.533

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: 5313842.