Montana, 2002

Damaging Wind and Lightning Strike in Montana, July 15, 2002

July 15, 2002 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A strong thunderstorm developed near Missoula and moved east over Clinton. The storm caused lightning to strike a 42 year old man driving an open top Jeep.

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.

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
1
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 strong thunderstorm developed near Missoula and moved east over Clinton. The storm caused lightning to strike a 42 year old man driving an open top Jeep. The lightning knocked him temporarily unconscious, and burned out the electrical system of the Jeep. As the storm moved east, it intensified with strong winds blowing down cottonwood trees, which damaged a roof in Clinton.

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 Jul 15, 1:45 PM MST, 5 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 1:45 PM MST, 5 hours 15 minutes before
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
245 PM MDT MON JUL 15 2002

.SHORT TERM...CURRENTLY SPC HAS A MESOSCALE DISCUSSION WHICH
ENCOMPASSES OUR SOUTHERN ZONES. CONVECTION IS CURRENTLY FIRING
ALONG THE BITTERROOTS SOUTH TO WEST OF LEMHI COUNTY. THE
STORMS WHICH HAVE SPCS ATTENTION ARE FORMING ALONG A LINE FROM
SOUTH CENTRAL IDAHO NORTHWEST TO EAST CENTRAL OREGON. INVERTED V
SOUNDINGS SUGGEST THE BIGGEST THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WOULD BE HIGH
WINDS. WILL ALSO HAVE TO MONITOR LIGHTNING FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A
RED FLAG WARNING FOR THIS EVENING.

AN UPPER LEVEL LOW OFF THE COAST OF BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL CONTINUE TO
SPIN OFF SHORTWAVE ENERGY IN A SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE CWA.
MOST OF THE ENERGY WILL BE DIRECTED OVER THE SOUTHERN ZONES. THESE
SHORTWAVES WILL TRIGGER SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE VERY
SOUTHERN ZONES AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE SOUTH CENTRAL
ZONES. THIS PATTERN WILL HOLD THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT WHEN THE AVN
PROGS A STRONG SHORTWAVE TO PUSH ITS WAY INTO THE AREA. THIS
SHORTWAVE MOVES FROM THE SOUTH AND LOOKS TO HAVE GOOD SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT FOR A CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

TEMPERATURES WILL HOLD STEADY IN THE UPPER 80S TO LOWER 90S THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. THURSDAY TEMPS FALL OFF AROUND 5 DEGREES AS THE STRONG
SHORTWAVE ENTERS THE AREA.

.LONG TERM...NOT SURE HOW MUCH RIDGE AND SUBTROPICAL MOISTURE WILL
BOUNCE BACK FRIDAY TO KICK UP CONVECTION IN SOUTHWEST MONTANA...SO
AT THIS POINT WILL GO DRY THROUGH THE LONG TERM WITH NEAR NORMAL
TEMPERATURES UNDER WEAK WESTERLIES. SIGLER

.MSO...NONE.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB UBB 054/095 056/096 055/090 33000001
     BBBB 051/084 050/085 051/082 050/080 3100000000
FCA BBB 052/089 053/090 053/084 33000002
     BBBB 048/080 047/081 048/078 047/076 3100000000
POL BBB 057/086 059/086 057/082 33000012
     BBBB 054/080 053/081 054/078 053/076 3100000000
MSO BBB 058/094 056/096 055/089 33201013
     BBBB 052/087 052/088 052/085 051/083 3100000000
HMM BBB 055/092 057/094 057/088 33312123
     BBBB 052/086 052/087 052/084 051/082 3100000000
BTM BBB 055/091 053/092 052/086 33313133
     BBBB 048/083 047/084 048/081 047/079 3100000000
ORO BBB 064/094 066/095 064/091 33000011
     BBBB 060/088 059/089 059/086 058/084 3100000000
GRV BBB 057/086 059/087 057/085 33101011
     BBBB 053/083 053/084 053/081 052/079 3100000000
SMN BBB 058/094 056/095 054/089 33202133
     BBBB 050/086 049/087 050/084 049/082 3100000000

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 15, 4:15 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
515 PM MDT MON JUL 15 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....CITY LOCATION.....STATE   ...EVENT/REMARKS...
           ....COUNTY LOCATION......

445 PM     5 NE SULA                 MT   MUDSLIDES ON EASTFORK
07/15/02   RAVALLI                        HIGHWAY AT MILE MARKERS
                                          4 AND 6.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 lightning, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Missoula

When
July 15, 7:00 PM MST
Where
Missoula County, Missoula
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
47.037, -113.924 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Thunderstorm Wind, Missoula

When
July 15, 7:15 PM MST
Where
Missoula County, Clinton
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
46.783, -113.733

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 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: 5309125, 5309126.