Damaging Winds in Montana, July 8, 2002

Name: Damaging Winds in Montana, July 8, 2002
Start: 2002-07-08T18:30
End: 2002-07-08T19:56
Location: Montana

July 8, 2002 · NWS BYZ · 4 events in 3 counties and zones

4 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 8, 1:12 PM MST, 5 hours 18 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 8, 1:12 PM MST, 5 hours 18 minutes before

SOUTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
212 PM MDT MON JUL 8 2002

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR TUE...WED...THU...
SEVERE WEATHER THE MAIN CONCERN THIS EVENING. STRONG SYSTEM WILL TAKE
BEST DYNAMICS TO THE NORTH OF FORECAST AREA. STRONG CAP IN PLACE IS
ERODING SOME WITH STRONG SFC HEATING. EXPECT SOME THUNDERSTORMS TO
DEVELOP IN THE MOUNTAINS THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE OUT INTO PLAINS
WITH FRONTAL PASSAGE. STORMS WILL END EARLY IN THE WEST...AND LINGER
IN THE EASTERN ZONES PAST MIDNIGHT WITH NORTHERN ZONES HAVING BEST
CHANCE OF SEVERE. AIRMASS WILL STABILIZE AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE WITH
MUCH COOLER TEMPS TUESDAY.

UPPER LOW WILL HAVE SOME INFLUENCE ON EASTERN ZONES TUESDAY NIGHT AND
WEDNESDAY WITH A FEW MORE CLOUDS AND COOLER TEMPS. OTHERWISE EXPECT
RIDGE TO SURGE BACK INTO WESTERN ZONES THROUGH THE LATER PERIODS AND
HOT TEMPS TO RETURN. FORECAST WILL BE DRY AFTER TONIGHT. SCARLETT

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR FRI...SAT...SUN...MON...
UPPER RIDGE IN CONTROL OF WEATHER PATTERN FOR MUCH OF THE EXTENDED.
SHORTWAVE ENERGY ROTATING AROUND RIDGE MAY SNEAK IN TO FAR EASTERN
ZONES ON FRIDAY BEFORE RIDGE AXIS PUSHES EAST. HOWEVER...ANY CHANCE OF
STORMS WOULD BE ISOLATED AT BEST SO WILL NOT MENTION IN FORECAST.
SUNDAY AND MONDAY UPPER LOW OVER CANADA WORKS TO BREAK DOWN RIDGE
SOME AND PUT AREA IN MORE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. WILL CONTINUE WITH DRY
FORECAST FOR NOW...WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES GENERALLY IN THE NINETIES
THROUGH THE EXTENDED. JZ

    TUE     WED     THU     FRI     SAT     SUN     MON
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 057/086 056/089 060/093 064/093 062/094 064/091 062/091
    30/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
LVM 047/083 047/092 053/092 055/094 054/093 055/092 054/092
    20/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
HDN 056/087 055/090 059/095 064/094 063/096 063/093 060/092
    40/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
MLS 060/087 057/089 063/095 067/092 065/095 065/094 063/091
    40/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
4BQ 058/086 057/088 062/094 066/093 064/094 064/093 062/090
    30/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
BHK 060/085 053/084 061/091 065/090 064/092 064/090 060/085
    40/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U
SHR 055/086 055/089 057/092 060/093 060/091 060/091 056/091
    30/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    00/U

.BYZ...
MT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH ZONES 028-029-042 TIL 700 PM.
     RED FLAG WARNING MT FIRE ZONES 124-133 UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
WY...RED FLAG WARNING WY FIRE ZONE 284 UNTIL MIDNIGHT.

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 67 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:29 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 8, 6:30 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 17 mi N of Pompeys Pillar
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.250, -107.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 8, 7:15 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 17 mi N of Pompeys Pillar
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.250, -107.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 8, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, Hathaway
Measured: 90 kt (104 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.267, -106.200

Mile marker signs and satellite dish blown over

Thunderstorm Wind, Custer

When: July 8, 7:56 PM MST
Where: Custer County, Miles City
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.400, -105.833

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, 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: 5304071, 5304072, 5304073, 5304074.