Montana, 2002

Damaging Wind in Montana, July 15, 2002

July 15, 2002 · NWS TFX · 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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 15, 1:40 PM MST, 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 1:40 PM MST, 55 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
240 PM MDT MON JUL 15 2002

.SHORT TERM...MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES OVER THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES. SURFACE AIRMASS IS RELATIVELY MOIST AND UNSTABLE...WITH
DEWPOINTS IN THE 50S TO LOWER 60S...AND LIFTED INDICES WELL BELOW
ZERO. A WEAK DISTURBANCE IS MOVING NORTHEAST THROUGH SW ID AT THIS
TIME...AND WILL MOVE INTO WRN MT THIS EVENING. VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOP
IS SHOWING MOUNTAIN CONVECTION ALREADY BEGINNING TO FIRE OVER CENTRAL
ID AND SW MT. EXPECT BULK OF CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TO FOLLOW A PATH
FROM SOUTHWEST TO NORTH CENTRAL MT...SIMILAR TO YESTERDAY...WITH ONLY
SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THE NW PORTION OF MY CWA. DO NOT EXPECT
WIDESPREAD SEVERE WEATHER THIS EVENING...BUT ISOLATED CELLS COULD
PRODUCE STRONG WINDS OR LARGE HAIL. MODELS DISAGREE ON LOCATION OF
CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY TOMORROW...BUT AGREE WITH GGW/BIL FORECASTERS
THAT BROADBRUSH CHANCE POPS FOR THE ENTIRE CWA TUESDAY AND TUESDAY
NIGHT IS A GOOD IDEA. DISTURBANCE AND ASSOCIATED CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY
MOVES TO SOUTH CENTRAL MT ON WEDNESDAY...WITH MOST OF MY CWA IN NVA.
WILL DROP POPS DOWN TO SLIGHT CHANCE FOR WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY
NIGHT. BY THURSDAY...THE AVN BRINGS A VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE TO WESTERN
MT...AND PAINTS COPIOUS QPF OVER MUCH OF THE STATE. TOO SOON TO TELL
IF THIS WILL BE ACCURATE...SO WILL GO WITH CHANCE POPS FOR ALL
ZONES. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL THROUGH THE ENTIRE
SHORT TERM. IF THE THURSDAY SHORTWAVE VERIFIES...HIGH TEMPS COULD
DROP 5 TO 10 DEGREES IN THE WEST. MPJ

.EXTENDED...PLAN ON GOING WITH THE ECMWF. MONDAYS 00Z AVN RUN
BROUGHT AN UPPER TROUGH INTO B.C. ON SUN THEN HAD IT MOVING INTO MT
ON MON. PREVIOUS 00Z AVN RUN WAS SLOWER WITH THE UPPER TROUGH. IT
BROUGHT THE UPPER TROUGH INTO THE PAC NW ON MON WITH SW FLOW ALOFT
FOR THE AREA. ECMWF RUNS FROM LAST WEEK ARE VERIFYING BETTER THAN
LAST WEEKS AVN RUNS FOR EARLY THIS WEEK. ALSO NCEP PREFERS THE
ECMWF. AND ECMWF IS MORE IN LINE WITH UPPER FLOW FOR THIS TIME OF
THE YEAR. SO WILL BE DISCOUNTING 00Z MON AVN RUN WHICH HAD COOLER
AIR MOVING INTO THE AREA EARLY NEXT WEEK. BLANK

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF TB 063/094 063/096 061 14433
    TBBBB 090/055 088/056 090/056 090/056 090 22422111222
CTB TB 058/090 059/092 058 14222
    TBBBB 086/050 085/052 087/052 087/052 087 22311111222
HLN TB 064/093 062/095 060 14633
    TBBBB 090/055 088/057 090/057 090/057 090 23422222222
BZN TB 060/092 060/094 055 14534
    TBBBB 089/050 087/052 089/052 089/052 089 23422222222
WEY TB 055/088 054/090 050 14434
    TBBBB 085/042 082/043 085/043 085/043 085 24433333333
DLN TB 060/090 058/092 055 14534
    TBBBB 087/051 086/053 089/053 089/053 089 24422222222
HVR TB 064/096 064/098 061 14333
    TBBBB 094/055 088/056 091/056 091/056 091 22322111222
LWT TB 060/092 061/094 059 14333
    TBBBB 091/054 087/055 089/055 089/055 089 22422111222=

.TFX...NONE

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jul 15, 1:20 PM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
220 PM MDT MON JUL 15 2002

TIME(MDT)  .....EVENT  LOCATION..... ST   ...EVENT/REMARKS...........
           .....COUNTY LOCATION.....

0540 PM    HELENA                    MT   1.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK              SOME CAR WINDOWS BROKEN,
                                          TREES DOWN, ELECTRIC
                                          SERVICE DOWN

0540 PM    HELENA                    MT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0540 PM    HELENA                    MT   WIND DAMAGE
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0545 PM    HELENA                    MT   0.50 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK              TREES, POWER LINES DOWN,
                                          STREET

0545 PM    HELENA                    MT   70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0555 PM    EAST HELENA               MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0555 PM    2 W SILVER CITY           MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0555 PM    2 W SILVER CITY           MT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK

0606 PM    TOWNSEND                  MT   0.25 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   BROADWATER

0606 PM    TOWNSEND                  MT   61 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   BROADWATER

0620 PM    3 SW GREAT FALLS          MT   0.25 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   CASCADE                        WIND GUST AT WEATHER
                                          STATION

0620 PM    3 SW GREAT FALLS          MT   66 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   CASCADE

0623 PM    5 S GREAT FALLS           MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   CASCADE                        REPORTED NATL WX EMPLOYEE

0623 PM    5 S GREAT FALLS           MT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   CASCADE

0630 PM    5 W TOWNSEND              MT   70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   BROADWATER                     GINGER RAWS STATION

0635 PM    HELENA                    MT   59 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   LEWIS  AND  CLARK              RAWS STATION

0635 PM    TOWNSEND                  MT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   BROADWATER                     TWO 100 YEAR OLD TREES
                                          DOWN, POWER LINES DOWN

0635 PM    WHITE SULPHUR SPGS        MT   0.25 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   MEAGHER                        TREE BRANCHES DOWN

0635 PM    WHITE SULPHUR SPGS        MT   75 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   MEAGHER

0700 PM    7 NE HIGHWOOD             MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   CHOUTEAU

0700 PM    7 NE HIGHWOOD             MT   45 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   CHOUTEAU

0710 PM    GREAT FALLS               MT   59 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   CASCADE                        DRY MICROBURST TEMP JUMPD
                                          TO

0725 PM    POWER                     MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   TETON                          0.50 INCH OF RAIN IN 30
                                          MINUTES

0725 PM    POWER                     MT   40 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   TETON

0756 PM    STANFORD                  MT   71 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   JUDITH  BASIN                  ONLY 0.06 INCH PRECIP

0758 PM    HOBSON                    MT   70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   JUDITH  BASIN                  WIND SPEED ESTIMATD. VSBY
                                          NEAR

0801 PM    MOORE                     MT   70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS                         VSBY 1/4 DUST, TREE LIMBS
                                          DOWN

0815 PM    WISDOM                    MT   1 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   BEAVERHEAD                     AT LEAST 1 INCH DIA HAIL
                                          SIZE

0817 PM    3 E DENTON                MT   72 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS                         EAST OF DENTON DOT SITE

0820 PM    LEWISTOWN                 MT   72 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS                         MANY TREE LIMBS DOWN.
                                          SCATTERED POWER OUTAGES.

0830 PM    FT BENTON                 MT   0.25 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   CHOUTEAU                       1.25 INCHES OF RAIN IN 20
                                          MINUTES

0830 PM    FT BENTON                 MT   50 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   CHOUTEAU

0835 PM    3 W HILGER                MT   70 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS                         WATER TANK BLOWN
                                          OVER...TREE LIMBS DOWN

0900 PM    ROY                       MT   65 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS

0903 PM    HAVRE                     MT   60 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   HILL                           HAVRE CITY-COUNTY AIRPORT
                                          ASOS

0904 PM    WISDOM                    MT   0.75 INCH HAIL
07/14/02   BEAVERHEAD

0910 PM    VALENTINE                 MT   64 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   FERGUS

1026 PM    FT BELKNAP                MT   82 MPH TSTM GUST
07/14/02   BLAINE                         FORT BELKNAP RAWS STATION

NNNN

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 127 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:35 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Broadwater

When
July 15, 2:35 PM MST
Where
Broadwater County, Townsend
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.317, -111.517

A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust of 60 mph at Townsend 6 NE.

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

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: 5307343.