Hail in Montana, August 3, 2004

Name: Hail in Montana, August 3, 2004
Start: 2004-08-03T16:05
End: 2004-08-03T16:05
Location: Montana

August 3, 2004 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

88 inch diameter hail at Geyser.

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: 1

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 TFX wrote it up.

A severe thunderstorm produced .88 inch diameter hail at Geyser.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 3, 1:55 PM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 3, 1:55 PM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MONTANA
255 PM MDT TUE AUG 3 2004

.DISCUSSION...

TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...ACTIVE NIGHT OF CONVECTION IN STORE
FOR CWA AS SHORT WAVE MOVES THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST FLOW. SPECIAL 18Z
TFX SOUNDING WAS NOT THAT IMPRESSIVE BUT BUFKIT SOUNDINGS FOR
SURROUNDING POINTS HAVE BEEN WITH CAPES NEARING 1000. ALSO HAVE
STATIONARY FRONT DRAPED ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA...PLENTY TO KICK OFF
STORMS. WITH A COUPLE OF STORMS THAT HAVE ALREADY REACHED SEVERE
LIMITS HAVE CONTINUED MENTION IN ZONES FOR ALL AREAS.

WILL SEE CONTINUED AFTERNOON AND EVENING THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY
AND THURSDAY AS SMALL DISTURBANCES ROTATE THROUGH. BY THURSDAY NIGHT
RIDGE HAS MOVED TO THE WESTERN DAKOTAS WITH UPPER TROUGH
APPROACHING. THOMSON

FRIDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...GOING FORECAST ON TRACK WITH UPPER LEVEL
TROF TO MOVE THROUGH AREA ON WEEKEND WITH SURFACE FRONT MOVING
THROUGH FRIDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. ONLY CHANGE WAS DROPPING SOME
TEMPERATURES AND UPPING CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ESPECIALLY OVER
NORTHERN ZONES FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY. SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL MAKE FOR A WARMING AND
DRYING TREND. CAMP

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF BB 054/085 056/087 055 11322
    BBUUU 083/053 081/054 083/051 084/054 084 22231000000
CTB BB 053/082 054/084 053 11322
    BBUUU 078/051 076/052 078/049 081/052 081 22232000000
HLN BB 060/083 059/088 058 11322
    BBUUU 086/056 083/057 086/054 085/057 085 22231000000
BZN BB 051/084 056/086 055 11322
    BBUUU 086/053 080/054 084/051 083/054 083 11221000000
WEY BB 045/070 048/072 046 11222
    BBUUU 072/044 065/047 070/044 069/047 069 2200-000000
DLN BB 049/082 055/084 054 11322
    BBUUU 081/052 080/053 082/050 081/053 081 2222-000000
HVR BB 057/083 056/089 055 11322
    BBUUU 087/053 082/054 083/051 086/054 086 -2232000000
LWT BB 055/084 054/087 053 11322
    BBUUU 083/051 076/052 083/049 084/052 084 01221000000

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Aug 3, 5:00 AM MST, 11 hours 5 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
600 AM MDT TUE AUG 3 2004

MTZ009>013-044>051-054-041145-
BLAINE-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-EASTERN GLACIER-EASTERN PONDERA-
EASTERN TETON-FERGUS-HILL-JUDITH BASIN-LIBERTY-MEAGHER-
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-TOOLE-
600 AM MDT TUE AUG 3 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY OVER NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA. SOME OF THE THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING MAY
BECOME SEVERE WITH DAMAGING WINDS AND HAIL.

NO WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES CURRENTLY IN EFFECT

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ008-014-015-052-053-055-041145-
BEAVERHEAD-BROADWATER-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-GALLATIN-
JEFFERSON-MADISON-
600 AM MDT TUE AUG 3 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP TODAY. SOME OF THE STRONGER
THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING WILL PRODUCE LOCALLY HEAVY
RAIN...SMALL HAIL AND GUSTY WINDS.

NO WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES CURRENTLY IN EFFECT

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Aug 3, 1:37 PM MST, 2 hours 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
237 PM MDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0236 PM     HAIL             HELENA                  46.60N 112.02W
08/03/2004  0.88 INCH        LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HEAVY RAIN

&&

JNS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 2:06 PM MST, 1 hour 59 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
306 PM MDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0305 PM     HAIL             HELENA                  46.60N 112.02W
08/03/2004  0.88 INCH        LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   LAW ENFORCEMENT

&&

CZ

Local storm report, Aug 3, 3:47 PM MST, 18 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
447 PM MDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0444 PM     HAIL             20 SW UTICA             46.76N 110.39W
08/03/2004  0.50 INCH        JUDITH BASIN       MT   PUBLIC

            HEAVY RAIN

&&

JNS

Local storm report, Aug 3, 4:02 PM MST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT ... SUMMARY
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
502 PM MDT TUE AUG 03 2004

..TIME...   ...EVENT...     ...CITY LOCATION...      ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....     ..COUNTY LOCATION...ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0236 PM     HAIL             HELENA                  46.60N 112.02W
08/03/2004  0.88 INCH        LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            HEAVY RAIN

0305 PM     HAIL             HELENA                  46.60N 112.02W
08/03/2004  0.88 INCH        LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   LAW ENFORCEMENT

0420 PM     HAIL             8 W THREE FORKS         45.89N 111.72W
08/03/2004  1.00 INCH        JEFFERSON          MT   PUBLIC

0427 PM     HAIL             7 NW THREE FORKS        45.96N 111.66W
08/03/2004  0.50 INCH        BROADWATER         MT   PUBLIC

0444 PM     HAIL             20 SW UTICA             46.76N 110.39W
08/03/2004  0.50 INCH        JUDITH BASIN       MT   PUBLIC

            HEAVY RAIN

&&

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 71 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Judith Basin

When: August 3, 4:05 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin County, Geyser
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.250, -110.500

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, 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: 5419821.