Damaging Wind in Montana, June 22, 2005

Name: Damaging Wind in Montana, June 22, 2005
Start: 2005-06-22T16:50
End: 2005-06-22T16:50
Location: Montana

June 22, 2005 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A severe thunderstorm produced a wind gust to 60 mph at Ft. Benton 10SW.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

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Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
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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 a wind gust to 60 mph at Ft. Benton 10SW.

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 Jun 22, 1:28 PM MST, 3 hours 22 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 22, 1:28 PM MST, 3 hours 22 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
228 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

.DISCUSSION...

TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...THE AIRMASS BEGINS THIS EVENING UNSTABLE
BUT GENERALLY BECOMES STABLE BY MIDNIGHT. WEAK RIDGING BEGINS TO
DEVELOP OVER THE AREA THURSDAY. MOST AREAS WILL REMAIN STABLE EXCEPT
NEAR GALLATIN COUNTY. TEMPS DROP FROM PREVIOUS HIGHS BY ABOUT 10
DEGREES AS THE AIRMASS COOLS BEHIND THE TROF. BY FRIDAY...FLOW ALOFT
SWITCHES TO THE SOUTHWEST AGAIN AHEAD OF A TROF MOVING ACROSS THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST...AND THE AIRMASS WILL BE UNSTABLE OVER THE
CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST ZONES. SEVERAL WEAK DISTURBANCES MOVE THROUGH
THE FLOW DURING THE DAY AND THIS COULD INCREASE THE CHANCE OF
AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS. ZELZER

FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...THE LONG WAVE PATTERN WILL
CONTINUE TO KEEP THE FORECAST AREA IN A SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW. MEDIUM
RANGE MODELS ARE SHOWING SOME DIFFERENCES WITH OVERALL AMPLITUDE.
THE GFS IS THE MOST AMPLIFIED WITH RESPECT TO A TROUGH OVER THE
WESTERN UNITED STATES. THE ECMWF IS LESS AMPLIFIED AND HAS SUPPORT
FROM THE CANADIAN. THE GFS HAS BEEN RATHER INCONSISTENT OVER THE
PAST FOUR RUNS WITH THE ECMWF SHOWING SLIGHTLY BETTER CONTINUITY.
THE LONG WAVE PATTERN WILL SUPPORT A RATHER AMPLIFIED TROUGH OVER
THE WESTERN UNITED STATES...BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT THE GFS IS
ADVERTISING. A CROSS BETWEEN THE ECMWF AND GFS SEEMS LIKE A GOOD FIT.

EARLY THIS WEEKEND...EMBEDDED SHORT WAVE ENERGY IN THE SOUTHWEST
FLOW WILL SUPPORT ISOLATED TO WIDELY SCATTERED CONVECTION. THE
COVERAGE OF CONVECTION WILL THEN INCREASE BY LATE THIS WEEKEND AND
EARLY NEXT WEEK AS THE PATTERN AMPLIFIES. POPS WERE THEREFORE SLOWLY
INCREASED THROUGH THE PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL NOT VARY ALL THAT
MUCH WITH MANY AREAS RIGHT AROUND NORMAL VALUES FOR LATE JUNE.
SCHAUMANN

TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MODELS IN FAIR AGREEMENT DURING THIS
PERIOD.  A SERIES OF WEAK DISTURBANCES IN A SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT
AFFECT THE CWA.  SOMEWHAT MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR WITH THIS PATTERN
RESULT IN SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS MOST OF
CWA.  TEMPERATURES WARM TO SEASONAL NORMALS BY WEDNESDAY.  EK

&&

.AVIATION...
UPDATED AT 1815Z

A SHORTWAVE TROUGH APPROACHING MONTANA FROM THE NORTHWEST WILL
INCREASE THE SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE STATE. HOWEVER...SKIES
WILL REMAIN CLEAR THROUGH 21Z. ALONG WITH A DESTABILIZING
AIRMASS...MOISTURE BOTH AHEAD OF THE SHORTWAVE AND MOVING INTO
SOUTHWEST MONTANA FROM THE SOUTH WILL BRING AREAS OF MID LEVEL
CLOUDS TO THE AREA. A COLD FRONT FROM NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHWEST
MONTANA WILL ALSO PROVIDE A FOCUS FOR THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPMENT FROM
SOUTHWEST MONTANA INTO CENTRAL MONTANA...WITH BREEZY WESTERLY WINDS
PREVAILING WEST OF IT. STRONG WINDS WILL BE THE MAIN THREAT FROM THE
STORMS...DUE TO DRY LOWER LEVELS OF THE ATMOSPHERE. AS THE COLD
FRONT EXITS THE AREA AND THE AIRMASS STABILIZES AFTER 02Z...STORM
ACTIVITY AND WINDS WILL DECREASE. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL
THROUGH 18Z THURSDAY.  COULSTON

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  54  77  46  79 /  10   0  10  10
CTB  52  74  43  76 /  10   0  10  10
HLN  56  82  50  84 /  20   0  10  10
BZN  50  79  44  81 /  20  10  20  10
WEY  41  67  35  77 /  30  20  20  10
DLN  49  77  42  82 /  20  10  10  10
HVR  58  81  47  80 /  10   0  10   0
LWT  56  74  45  76 /  20  10  20   0

&&

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

WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jun 22, 4:52 AM MST, 11 hours 58 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
552 AM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

MTZ008>015-044>055-231200-
BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-
CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-
TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-
SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-
JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
552 AM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND CENTRAL MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON AND
CONTINUE INTO THE EVENING. SOME STORMS MAY BECOME SEVERE.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS WILL EXIST EACH DAY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

In the hours before

Local storm report, Jun 22, 2:22 PM MST, 2 hours 28 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
322 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

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

0318 PM     HAIL             HELENA                  46.60N 112.02W
06/22/2005  0.50 INCH        LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   NWS EMPLOYEE

            HALF INCH HAIL AT THE HELENA AIRPORT.

&&

BRUSDA

Special weather statement, Jun 22, 2:58 PM MST, 1 hour 52 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
358 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

MTZ011>014-047-050>055-230000-
HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-BLAINE-
JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...HAVRE...GREAT FALLS...FORT BENTON...
HELENA...CHINOOK...STANFORD...LEWISTOWN...BOULDER...TOWNSEND...
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS...BOZEMAN...WEST YELLOWSTONE
358 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
512 IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MDT FOR THE FOLLOWING AREAS...

A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 11 PM FOR THE
FOLLOWING COUNTIES IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. BLAINE...BROADWATER...
CASCADE...CHOUTEAU...FERGUS...GALLATIN...HILL...JEFFERSON...JUDITH BASIN...
LEWIS AND CLARK...MEAGHER.

SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCE LARGE HAIL GREATER THAN THREE QUARTERS
OF AN INCH IN DIAMETER AND STRONG WIND GUSTS GREATER THAN 58 MPH.

Local storm report, Jun 22, 3:38 PM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
438 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

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

0435 PM     HAIL             13 S ULM                47.24N 111.51W
06/22/2005  0.75 INCH        CASCADE            MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA TO PENNY SIZE HAIL. HEAVY RAIN AND WIND GUSTS
            ESTIMATED BETWEEN 30 AND 40 MPH.

0430 PM     HAIL             32 NNW WHITE SULPHUR SP 46.97N 111.16W
06/22/2005  0.25 INCH        MEAGHER            MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PEA SIZE HAIL...HAIL GETTING BIGGER ALONG WITH HEAVY
            RAIN.

&&

BRUSDA

Local storm report, Jun 22, 3:52 PM MST, 58 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
452 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

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

0450 PM     HAIL             3 SW GREAT FALLS        47.47N 111.34W
06/22/2005  0.50 INCH        CASCADE            MT   NWS EMPLOYEE

            HALF INCH HAIL AT THE NWS OFFICE.

&&

BRUSDA

Local storm report, Jun 22, 4:21 PM MST, 29 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
521 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

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

0521 PM     HAIL             CASCADE                 47.27N 111.70W
06/22/2005  0.75 INCH        CASCADE            MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            PENNY SIZE TO A BIT LARGER HAIL

&&

BRUSDA

Local storm report, Jun 22, 4:25 PM MST, 25 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
525 PM MDT WED JUN 22 2005

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

0525 PM     HAIL             CASCADE                 47.27N 111.70W
06/22/2005  0.75 INCH        CASCADE            MT   NWS EMPLOYEE

&&

BRUSDA

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 51 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:52 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chouteau

When: June 22, 4:50 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County, 10 mi SW of Ft Benton
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.717, -110.817

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

Every storm in Montana in 2005 Every state in 2005 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, June 2005

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: 5456230.