Hail and Heavy Rain in Montana, June 26, 2004

Name: Hail and Heavy Rain in Montana, June 26, 2004
Start: 2004-06-26T15:21
End: 2004-06-26T16:25
Location: Montana

June 26, 2004 · NWS MSO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Heavy rain fell from a thunderstorm over northwest Montana near Lookout Pass. 60 inches of rain in a short period causing a multiple vehicle accident on the east side of the pass.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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 happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

Heavy rain fell from a thunderstorm over northwest Montana near Lookout Pass. Thunderstorms dumped .60 inches of rain in a short period causing a multiple vehicle accident on the east side of the pass. Another storm near Butte produced .75 inch hail as well as heavy rain, causing urban flooding in the city of Butte where 2 feet of water accumulated over Harrison Ave.

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 Jun 26, 12:37 PM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 26, 12:37 PM MST, 2 hours 44 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
137 PM MDT SAT JUN 26 2004

.UPDATE...UPDATING THE AFD TO MENTION THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH ISSUED
FOR THE 2003 FOREST FIRE AFFECTED BASINS THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING.
WILL ADD MENTION IN THIS AFTERNOONS ZFP.

&&

.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...MAIN FORECAST
CHALLENGE IN THE SHORT TERM IS HOW WIDESPREAD AND STRONG
THUNDERSTORMS WILL GET TODAY AND TONIGHT.  MANY FACTORS ARE PLAYING
OUT IN THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT THIS AFTERNOON IN CENTRAL IDAHO AND
WESTERN MONTANA. THUNDERSTORMS FROM LAST NIGHT OVER NORTHWEST MONTANA
CONTINUE TO MOVE SOUTH ALONG AND THROUGH THE WESTERN SIDE OF THE
GREAT DIVIDE TODAY. THUNDERSTORMS ALSO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP OVER A
SURFACE BOUNDARY STRETCHING FROM NORTH CENTRAL WASHINGTON STATE INTO
CENTRAL IDAHO. CIRRUS BLOW OFF FROM THESE STORMS MAY MOVE INTO
NORTHWEST MONTANA LATER THIS AFTERNOON.  THIS MAY INHIBIT FURTHER
CONVECTION IN THIS AREA...PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED TO HAVE THE STRONGEST
DEVELOPMENT. IN OTHER AREAS...CLEAR SKIES THIS MORNING AND AFTERNOON
SHOULD ALLOW ENOUGH HEATING TO PRODUCE THUNDERSTORMS IN THIS UNSTABLE
MOIST ENVIRONMENT. THERE WILL BE ABUNDANT MOISTURE IN THE ATMOSPHERE
THIS AFTERNOON...AND THE STORM MOTION WILL BE SLOW MOVING.  THESE ARE
KEY ELEMENTS WHEN COMBINED WITH CONVECTION TO PRODUCE FLASH FLOODING.
THIS WILL HAVE TO BE MONITORED THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT...MAINLY
OVER THE BURN AREAS. ANOTHER THREAT TONIGHT WILL BE THUNDERSTORM
WINDS. LAPSE RATES ARE HIGH ENOUGH OVER LEMHI COUNTY TO POTENTIALLY
PRODUCE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WINDS. THIS UNSTABLE ENVIRONMENT IS
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH TOMORROW NIGHT...WITH BREAKS IN
THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AFTER THE SUN GOES DOWN TONIGHT AND SUNDAY
EVENING. SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE SHORT TERM PERIOD WITH THE
BEST CHANCES IN THE MOUNTAIN AREAS.

.LONG TERM...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...WILL BE MAKING LITTLE CHANGE
TO THE FORECAST. MODELS REMAIN CONSISTENT THROUGH WEDNESDAY WITH
SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW CONTINUING...MAKING FOR MAINLY DIURNALLY DRIVEN
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND BEYOND THE EXTENDED
MODELS CONTINUE TO DISAGREE...HOWEVER IT IS LOOKING LIKE THE NORTHERN
ROCKIES WILL CONTINUE IN A SOMEWHAT ACTIVE PATTERN FAVORING ISOLATED
AFTERNOON AND EVENING SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. TEMPERATURES WILL
REMAIN ON THE WARM SIDE WITH WIDESPREAD ABOVE NORMAL READINGS.
&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...FLASH FLOOD WATCH FOR THE 2003 FOREST FIRE BURN AREAS UNTIL 930
     PM THIS EVENING...
ID...NONE.
&&

SHORT TERM/STEGEMILLER
LONG TERM/GILCHRIST

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 26, 2:40 PM MST, 41 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
340 PM MDT (240 PM PDT) SAT JUN 26 2004

IDZ005>008-MTZ001>006-043-271200-
NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER-
KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-WEST GLACIER REGION-FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-
LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS-
BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-BLACKFOOT REGION-
340 PM MDT (240 PM PDT) SAT JUN 26 2004

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

SLOW MOVING VERY MOIST THUNDERSTORMS HAVE DEVELOPED THIS
AFTERNOON AND WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS EVENING...WITH SOME STORMS
HAVING THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE HAIL AND HEAVY RAIN. THEREFORE A
FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR SEVERELY BURNED AREAS OF
WESTERN MONTANA THROUGH THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE PERIOD
MAINLY DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING HOURS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

IDZ009-010-MTZ007-271200-
WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-BUTTE/PINTLAR REGION-
340 PM MDT SAT JUN 26 2004

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

AN UNSTABLE ATMOSPHERE HAS SET OFF THUNDERSTORMS THIS AFTERNOON. THE
MAIN THREAT WITH THESE STORMS WILL BE STRONG THUNDERSTORM WINDS. THIS
THREAT SHOULD END JUST AFTER SUNDOWN.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 78 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:38 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy rain, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Mineral

When: June 26, 3:21 PM MST
Where: Mineral County, Lookout
Reported by: LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates: 47.147, -114.998 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Missoula

When: June 26, 3:37 PM MST
Where: Missoula County, 5 mi S of Nine Mile
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.933, -114.417

Heavy Rain, Silver Bow

When: June 26, 4:00 PM MST to 4:25 PM MST
Where: Silver Bow County, Butte
Measured: 75
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 45.902, -112.657 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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, June 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5404253, 5404254, 5404255.