Wildfire, Phillips
- When
- July 1, 8:00 AM MST to July 4, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Phillips County, Landusky
- Reported by
- OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
- Coordinates
- 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire in Montana, July 1 to 8, 2003
Lightning ignited numerous small wildfires across Garfield, Petroleum, and Southern Phillips Counties. While most of the fires were 100 acres or less, the Blue Pulaski fire reached 3000 acres near Hell Creek Recreation area north of Jordan before it was contained.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
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 happened
The episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.
Lightning ignited numerous small wildfires across Garfield, Petroleum, and Southern Phillips Counties. While most of the fires were 100 acres or less, the Blue Pulaski fire reached 3000 acres near Hell Creek Recreation area north of Jordan before it was contained.
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 1, 8:00 AM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Jul 1, 8:00 AM MST, 0 minutes before
NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
900 AM MDT TUE JUL 01 2003
NO UPDATE PLANNED...
COOL FRONT THROUGH THIS MORNING USHERING IN DRIER BOUNDARY LAYER AS
EVIDENCED ON AM SOUNDING. A WEAK SHORTWAVE IS LOCATED IN SOUTHERN
IDAHO WHICH WILL MOVE IN THE UPPER LEVEL SOUTHWEST FLOW INTO MONTANA
LATER THIS AFTERNOON. THE MESOETA ADVERTISES SOME THUNDERSTORMS
AFTER MIDNIGHT IN NORTHEAST MONTANA...SO WILL TAKE A CLOSER LOOK FOR
SECOND PERIOD...BUT THE DRY FORECAST IN FIRST PERIOD LOOKS GOOD.
SURFACE WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT TODAY WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE
NORTHWEST. TEMPS SHOULD BE ABOUT 10 DEGREES COOLER TODAY AS CURRENT
FORECAST INDICATES. ADOLPHSON
.LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...
THE MAIN BAND OF WESTERLIES WILL BE FOUND JUST TO THE NORTH OF THE
CWA DURING MUCH OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. EASTERN MT WILL BE UNDER THE
INFLUENCE OF A BROAD UPPER TROUGH THROUGH THE WEEKEND...AND THE
GREATEST INSTABILITY AND THREAT OF SHOWERS WILL BE FOUND TO OUR
NORTH ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA. THE GFS BRINGS A SHORT WAVE THROUGH
OUR NE ZONES THURSDAY EVENING...BUT AT THIS POINT IT LOOKS DRY AND
STABLE ENOUGH THAT IT DOES NOT WARRANT A MENTION OF SHOWERS. A
SECOND SHORT WAVE CLIPS OUR NORTHERN ZONES SUNDAY...HOWEVER THE
SOURCE OF THIS ENERGY IS STILL WEST OF AK AND WILL WAIT FOR LATER
RUNS BEFORE EVEN CONSIDERING A MENTION OF SHOWERS. TEMPERATURES
FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY WILL RUN SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL WITH DAILY
HIGHS MOSTLY IN THE 70S. LOOKS LIKE A DRY START TO WORK WEEK MONDAY
WITH WEAK RIDING AND TEMPERATURES MODERATING A BIT. CB
KGGW BBB /089 060/083 054/079 8620020
BEBB 051/079 054/080 055/080 056/081 057/ 92000000000
KGDV BBB /093 062/087 055/082 8622000
BBBB 053/079 055/084 056/083 057/084 058/ 92000000000
.GGW...NONE.Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 1, 5:00 AM MST, 3 hours before
MTZ016>027-059>062-021200- HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 600 AM MDT TUE JUL 1 2003 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA .DAY ONE... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. DNS
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
3 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Wildfire, Petroleum
- When
- July 2, 8:00 AM MST to July 4, 8:00 PM MST
- Where
- Petroleum County, 20 mi N of Winnett
- Reported by
- OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
- Coordinates
- 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Wildfire, Garfield
- When
- July 2, 8:00 AM MST to July 8, 8:00 AM MST
- Where
- Garfield County, 20 mi N of Mosby
- Reported by
- OTHER FEDERAL AGENCY
- Coordinates
- 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Wildfire
- A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Wildfire in Arizona, July 1 to 15, 2003
- Flooding in Louisiana, July 1 to 4, 2003
- Tornado and Flash Flooding in Georgia, July 1, 2003
- Tornadoes and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 1, 2003
- Flooding in Mississippi, July 1 to 3, 2003
- Tropical Storm in Georgia, July 1 to 2, 2003
- Tornado in Alabama, July 1, 2003
- Flash Flooding in Alabama, July 1, 2003
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Mississippi, July 1, 2003
- Flash Flood in Ohio, July 1, 2003
- Tornado in Georgia, July 1, 2003
- Flash Flooding and Hail in West Virginia, July 1, 2003
More
Every storm in Montana in 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 2003
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: 5330459, 5330460, 5330461.