Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 24, 2002

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 24, 2002
Start: 2002-07-24T13:15
End: 2002-07-24T16:25
Location: Montana

July 24, 2002 · NWS GGW · 15 events in 7 counties and zones

11 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail, 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: 15

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 Jul 24, 1:10 PM MST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 1:10 PM MST, 5 minutes before

NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
210 PM MDT WED JUL 24 2002

.SHORT TERM...THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE TO TRACK ALONG THE
SASKATCHEWAN/MONTANA BORDER. THESE STORMS HAVE FORMED ALONG A
SURFACE TROUGH AND JUST AHEAD OF THE UPPER LEVEL WAVE MOVING
ACROSS SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS AREAS
OF CUMULUS DEVELOPING ELSEWHERE TO THE WEST AND SOUTH. BELIEVE
INSTABILITY WILL CONTINUE TO INCREASE AS THE AFTERNOON WEARS ON AND
CAP IS PROGGED TO WEAKEN AS WELL. EXPECT THUNDERSTORMS TO CONTINUE
DEVELOP ACROSS THE CWA AND THEN PROGRESS EASTWARD INTO NORTH DAKOTA
LATER TONIGHT. CURRENT FORECAST HANDLES THIS SCENARIO WELL WITH
EVENING THUNDERSTORMS.

MAIN AREA OF INSTABILITY THEN SHIFTS EAST FOR TOMORROW WITH A WEAK
AREA OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDING IN OVER THE AREA. UPPER LEVEL RIDGE
ALSO AMPLIFIES...A REFLECTION OF THE WAA OCCURRING AHEAD OF THE NEXT
H5 SHORTWAVE TROUGH. RIDGE BREAKS DOWN AS ANOTHER SHORTWAVE
PROGRESSES EAST FROM THE PACNW THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THIS WAVE
WILL BEGIN TO SPREAD SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS
EASTERN MONTANA THURSDAY NIGHT. THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE
INTO FRIDAY BUT MAINLY AFFECT THE EASTERN ZONES AS THE WAVE EXITS
INTO NORTH DAKOTA.

A MUCH STRONGER UPPER LEVEL TROUGH WILL THEN DIG SOUTHEAST ACROSS
ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN STARTING. ACCOMPANYING THIS TROUGH WILL BE
A STRONG COLD FRONT CROSSING THE CWA FRIDAY NIGHT. WILL KEEP CHANCE
POPS IN FOR THIS FRONT FOR PERIOD 5. TROUGH FOLLOWS DURING THE DAY
SATURDAY CONTINUING THE CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION. A MUCH COOLER AIR
MASS MOVES IN ACROSS THE AREA BEHIND THE FRONT FOR
SATURDAY...DROPPING TEMPERATURES 10 TO 15 DEGREES INTO THE UPPER 70S
TO NEAR 80.  BERDES

.LONG TERM...SOMEWHAT OF A ZONAL FLOW DEVELOPS OVER MT...WITH WEAK
RIPPLES MOVING THROUGH JET. MRF PLACES A SMALL TROUGH OVER MT WITH
NW FLOW ALOFT FOR SUNDAY INTO MONDAY. TOWARD THE END OF THE EXTENDED
MRF BUILDS A RIDGE IN THE WEST...KEEPING FLOW NW OVER MT. THE ECMWF
KEEPS THE FLOW MORE ZONAL SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WITH WEAK
SHORTWAVES PIVOTING THROUGH FROM THE NORTHWEST. SINCE BOTH MODELS
SEEM TO AGREE ON WEAK DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED IN MOSTLY ZONAL
FLOW...IT WILL BE A DRIER...COOLER PATTERN. KIMBALL

KGGW BTT 061/091 062/092 059/078 77203333
     BBBB 052/076 053/081 056/083 057/087 7722222222
KGDV TTT 061/091 063/092 061/080 77312333
     BBBB 052/073 051/081 056/084 060/088 7722222222

.GGW...NONE

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 58 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 thunderstorm wind, 4 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Phillips

When: July 24, 1:15 PM MST
Where: Phillips County, 35 mi SE of Malta
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.983, -107.333

Thunderstorm Wind, Daniels

When: July 24, 1:55 PM MST
Where: Daniels County, 8 mi SSW of Scobey
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.700, -105.483

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When: July 24, 2:14 PM MST
Where: Garfield County, 23 mi N of Jordan
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.650, -106.883

Hail, Sheridan

When: July 24, 2:20 PM MST
Where: Sheridan County, 2 mi SE of Redstone
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.800, -104.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt

When: July 24, 2:30 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County, 1 mi S of Bredette
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.483, -105.300

Hail, Roosevelt

When: July 24, 2:45 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County, 17 mi N of Brockton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.400, -104.917

Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt

When: July 24, 2:45 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County, 17 mi N of Brockton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.400, -104.917

60 mph wind gust with hail reported by spotter 17 miles north of Brockton.

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When: July 24, 2:51 PM MST
Where: Valley County, 35 mi SW of Glasgow
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.833, -107.167

Wind gust reported by the King Coulee RAWS site.

Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt

When: July 24, 3:15 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County, Culbertson
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.150, -104.517

Thunderstorm Wind, Garfield

When: July 24, 3:15 PM MST
Where: Garfield County, 8 mi N of Haxby
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.850, -106.383

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When: July 24, 3:25 PM MST
Where: Richland County, 25 mi NW of Lambert
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.600, -104.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Roosevelt

When: July 24, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Roosevelt County, 1 mi W of Bainville
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.133, -104.233

Hail, Richland

When: July 24, 4:08 PM MST
Where: Richland County, 4 mi W of Sidney
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.700, -104.233

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When: July 24, 4:08 PM MST
Where: Richland County, 5 mi SE of Sidney
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.650, -104.067

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When: July 24, 4:25 PM MST
Where: Richland County, 5 mi SE of Sidney
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.650, -104.067

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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, 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: 5310293, 5310294, 5310295, 5310296, 5310297, 5310298, 5310383, 5310384, 5310385, 5310386, 5310387, 5310388, 5310389, 5310390, 5310391.