Montana, 2002

Damaging Winds in Montana, September 3, 2002

September 3, 2002 · NWS GGW · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

3 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
3

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 Sep 3, 2:17 PM MST, 4 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Sep 3, 2:17 PM MST, 4 hours 52 minutes before
NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
245 PM MDT TUE SEP 3 2002

.SHORT TERM...WAVES OF THETA E ARE EMBEDDED IN SOUTHWEST FLOW
THROUGH THE SHORT TERM.  EACH OF THESE WAVES HAVE THE POTENTIAL FOR
CREATING SHOWERS OVER PORTIONS OF THE CWA.  INHERITED BROADBRUSHED
POPS BUT BELIEVE THE TRACK CAN BE MORE CLOSELY DEFINED WITH THIS
MODEL RUN.  WILL ADJUST FORECAST TO ACCOUNT FOR INTERMITTENT NATURE
OF IMPULSES.  AVN SLIGHTLY MORE MOIST AND AGGRESSIVE WITH PATTERN
THAN ETA.  WILL BLEND AVN POPS TO ETA PRECIP PATTERN.  CLOUD COVER
FROM WAVES WILL AFFECT TEMPERATURE RANGES.  CURRENTLY EXPECT GOOD
INSOLATION EXCEPT FOR WHEN THE SHOWERS ARE ACTUALLY OCCURRING.  HAVE
KEPT INHERITED TEMP FORECASTS THROUGH THE SHORT TERM WITH SOME
MODIFICATION TO ACCOUNT FOR THE OBSERVED CONDITIONS AROUND THE CWA
AND UPSTREAM.

.LONG TERM...AVN EXTENDED APPEARS REASONABLE WITH CONTINUED
SHORTWAVES AND MOIST PATTERN.  ENTRAINED PACIFIC HURRICANE SHOULD
START AFFECTING THE REGION DURING THIS PERIOD.  MCNULTY

KGGW BBR 053/087 052/085 053/085 81222146
     BBEE 053/074 049/076 052/077 059/069 8144014433
KGDV BBR 058/094 055/090 053/089 81122247
     BBEE 053/075 049/076 052/077 064/076 8153204333

.GGW...NONE.

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 122 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Petroleum

When
September 3, 7:09 PM MST
Where
Petroleum County, 40 mi NE of Winnett
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.417, -107.750

58 mph wind reported at Chain Butte RAWS.

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When
September 3, 7:45 PM MST
Where
Valley County, 24 mi W of Opheim
Measured
50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.850, -106.933

58 mph wind reported at Bluff Creek RAWS.

Thunderstorm Wind, Valley

When
September 3, 8:35 PM MST
Where
Valley County, Opheim
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.850, -106.400

60 mph wind reported at Opheim.

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, September 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: 5317304, 5317305, 5317306.