Idaho, 2004

Damaging Winds in Idaho, August 5, 2004

August 5, 2004 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Thunderstorm downburst winds gusted up to 61 mph at the Salmon RAWS station, and up to 62 mph at the Kriley Creek RAWS station.

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
2

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 MSO wrote it up.

Thunderstorm downburst winds gusted up to 61 mph at the Salmon RAWS station, and up to 62 mph at the Kriley Creek RAWS station.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 5, 12:31 PM MST, 3 hours 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 5, 12:31 PM MST, 3 hours 57 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
131 PM MDT THU AUG 5 2004

.SHORT TERM...ACTIVE AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHAPING UP WITH THERMAL
THROUGH OVER THE REGION...GOOD UPWARD VERTICAL MOTION AND JET NOSING
INTO THE AREA FOR THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT FROM SOUTHWEST MONTANA
UP THROUGH GLACIER THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING. WATCH HAS BEEN
ISSUED FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED LOCATIONS UNTIL 7PM THIS EVENING.
CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DECREASE QUICKLY THIS EVENING WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE THERMAL THROUGH AND SURFACE RIDGING BUILDING QUICKLY
BEHIND. TEMPERATURES TONIGHT ARE EXPECTED TO BE A FEW DEGREES
COOLER TONIGHT WITH RAIN COOLED AIR OVER THE AREA AND MOSTLY CLEAR
SKIES. WILL HAVE TO FOG FORMATION OVERNIGHT IN VALLEYS THAT RECEIVE
DECENT RAINFALL AMOUNTS TODAY. CURRENTLY EXPECT FOG IN THE VALLEYS
ALONG THE IDAHO BORDER AND IN SOUTHWEST VALLEYS LATE TONIGHT AND
EARLY FRIDAY MORNING.

FRIDAY WILL BE COOLER WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF AFTERNOON CONVECTION...
MAINLY MISSOULA NORTHWARD. THIS CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO LAST INTO
THE OVERNIGHT TIMEFRAME AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH MAKES ITS WAY OVER
NORTHWEST MONTANA. TEMPERATURES FRIDAY NIGHT WILL BE SIMILAR IF NOT A
FEW DEGREES WARMER THAN TONIGHT WITH MAINLY CLOUDY SKIES AND SOME
WINDS TO KEEP THINGS MIXED.

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY...MAIN FORECAST
CHALLENGE HAS BEEN HIGH AND LOW TEMPERATURES FOR THE WEEKEND.
GUIDANCE CONTINUES TO GO QUITE COOL...ESPECIALLY FOR SATURDAY AND
SUNDAY. HAVE MOVED TEMPERATURES DOWN A LITTLE FOR THE WEEKEND BUT
REMAIN UNCONVINCED THAT HIGHS WILL ONLY BE IN THE HIGH 60S...WILL
CONTINUE TO CONSIDER ALL OPTIONS.
MODELS CONTINUE TO BUILD A RIDGE OVER THE REGION NEXT WEEK. HAVE
GOOD CONFIDENCE AS THIS SEEMS REASONABLE. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE
SLIGHTLY WARMER THAN CLIMO BUT NOT LOOKING UNUSUALLY WARM AS WE
REMAIN UNDER EASTERLY FLOW. ONLY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS MADE TO ONGOING
FORECAST.
&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 01Z (7PM MDT) MTZ002-006-007-
043.
ID...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 01Z (7PM MDT)IDZ010.
&&

SHORT TERM/MEAD
LONG TERM/KREYENHAGEN/MWJ
Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 5, 1:16 PM MST, 3 hours 12 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
216 PM MDT (116 PM PDT) THU AUG 5 2004

IDZ005>009-MTZ001-003>005-060600-
NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER-
WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-
FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-
MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS-
216 PM MDT (116 PM PDT) THU AUG 5 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN
MONTANA

.DAY ONE... TODAY

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON.
SOME STORMS MAY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE. STRONG
GUSTY WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND HAIL ARE POSSIBLE WITH THESE
STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

IDZ010-MTZ002-006-007-043-060600-
EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-WEST GLACIER REGION-
BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-BUTTE/PINTLAR REGION-BLACKFOOT REGION-
216 PM MDT THU AUG 5 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN
MONTANA

.DAY ONE... TODAY

STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
THIS EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BECOME SEVERE.
STRONG DAMAGING WINDS...BRIEF HEAVY RAIN...AND LARGE HAIL ARE
POSSIBLE WITH THESE STORMS. A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT
FOR EASTERN FLATHEAD...GRANITE...POWELL...DEER LODGE AND SILVER BOW
COUNTIES IN WESTERN MONTANA AND EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY IN IDAHO UNTIL
700 PM MDT. SEE GTFSEL2 FOR MORE DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 209 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:26 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Lemhi

When
August 5, 4:28 PM MST
Where
Lemhi County, Salmon
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.167, -113.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Lemhi

When
August 5, 4:28 PM MST
Where
Lemhi County, 6 mi SE of North Fork
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
45.333, -113.917

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 Idaho in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, August 2004

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: 5420020, 5420021.