Heat in Montana, July 13 to 31, 2007

Name: Heat in Montana, July 13 to 31, 2007
Start: 2007-07-13T00:00
End: 2007-07-31T23:00
Location: Montana

July 13 to 31, 2007 · NWS GGW · 16 events in 15 counties and zones

July brought record heat to much of northeast Montana. In Glasgow it was the 2nd hottest July and calendar month on record.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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: 16

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.

July brought record heat to much of northeast Montana. In Glasgow it was the 2nd hottest July and calendar month on record. Records at Glasgow date back to 1893. There were a total of 6 days with a high temperature of 100 degrees or higher. The high of 106F on the 24th was not a record for the date, but was the hottest temperature observed in Glasgow since 1988. Seven nights had a low temperature of 70F or above, which was the most ever observed in a month. There were also 5 consecutive nights with a low temperature of 70F or above, which was also a new record. Record warm lows were set or tied on 5 dates during the month. Most impressive was the low of 75F on the 21st as this was the warmest low temperature observed in Glasgow since 1983, and also tied with July 8, 1983 for the warmest low temperature ever observed during the month of July.

Even areas along the Canadian border that typically only experience 100 degree temperatures once every 2 to 3 years had a few to several days with high temperatures above 100 degrees. Opheim 10N which only averages a 100 degree day once every 5 years, and had not had a 100 degree day since 1988, had three. The low temperatures were also unusually warm. In Glendive where records date back to 1893 the low of 79 degrees on the 25th was the warmest low temperature since August 27, 1931. Sidney where records date back to 1910 had the warmest low temperature ever observed on the 25th with a low of 78 degrees. The high temperature of 107 degrees on the 24th and 25th were the hottest temperatures observed in Sidney since July of 1917 when the all-time high temperature of 110 degrees was established.

The hot and mainly dry weather during the second half of the month of July produced moderate agricultural drought conditions by months end.

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 12, 8:27 PM MST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 12, 8:27 PM MST, 3 hours 33 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
927 PM MDT THU JUL 12 2007

.SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...
QUIET PATTERN IS EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH CLEAR SKIES EXCEPT FOR
RAPIDLY DISAPPATING AFTERNOON-EVENING CUMULUS AS SEEN ON THE
VISUAL SATELLITE LOOP. A SLIGHTLY BACKWARD LEANING UPPER RIDGE IS
PRODUCING AN UPPER NORTHWEST FLOW OVER THE REGION. THE FLOW IS
QUITE DRY AS SEEN ON THE WATER VAPOR LOOP.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
UPPER RIDGE SLOWLY BUILDS OVER THE AREA THROUGH SATURDAY.
THEREFORE...TEMPERATURES WILL WARM A FEW DEGREES EACH DAY EASILY
REACHING THE LOW AND MID 90S BY SATURDAY. AS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS
APPROACHES AFTERNOON CUMULUS SHOULD DECREASE EACH DAY. A SYSTEM
DIVES SOUTHEAST FROM CENTRAL MANITOBA TO THE GREAT LAKES FRIDAY.
HOWEVER...ALL THIS BRINGS TO NORTHEASTERN MONTANA IS A TIGHTENING
PRESSURE GRADIENT THAT WILL BRING AN INCREASED NORTHWEST WIND FOR
FRIDAY AFTERNOON...GENERALLY TO THE NORTHEAST ZONES.
OTHERWISE...WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE THROUGH THE PERIOD. AJZ

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...
WE HAVE TRANSITIONED INTO A MID-SUMMER PATTERN THAT WILL FEATURE
PERSISTENTLY HOT TO VERY HOT TEMPERATURES WITH BELOW NORMAL
RAINFALL. ALL MODELS ARE SIMILAR WITH A VERY STRONG AND PERSISTENT
UPPER HIGH OVER MOST OF THE WESTERN STATES AND PLAINS STATES THE
MAIN INFLUENCE ON OUR WEATHER. INDICATIONS ARE THAT DUE TO THE
AMPLIFIED...BLOCKING TYPE OF PATTERN...THAT WE WILL BE IN FOR A
PROLONGED HEAT WAVE WITH LITTLE RELIEF FOR AT LEAST A WEEK...AND
LIKELY LASTING LONGER THAN THAT. NEW MEX IS ALL AT LEAST 10F
ABOVE CLIMO HIGHS EVERY DAY...WHICH IS SELDOM SEEN ON MOS AND
ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE INDICATION OF THE UPCOMING HEATWAVE.
THICKNESSES EXCEED 590 DM ON THE 06Z DGEX TUE-THU...WHICH IS AT
LEAST AS HIGH AS LAST FRIDAY. NIGHT SHIFT RAISED ALL HIGHS...SO
CURRENT FORECAST IN THE BALLPARK NOW FOR TEMPS.

THE UPPER HIGH THAT RIDGES INTO OUR AREA WEAKENS JUST
SLIGHTLY SUN NIGHT WITH A SHORTWAVE CLIPPING ITS TOP. THIS GIVES
NE MT JUST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS. THE RIDGE THEN
REBUILDS BUT SHIFTS E SLIGHTLY...BUILDING VERY STRONGLY OVER THE
UPPER PLAINS. WITH AXIS TO OUR E...SLIGHT CHANCE OF TSTORMS LOOKS
GOOD LATE IN THE LONG TERM TOO. SIMONSEN

PREVIOUS LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...THE
PATTERN LOOKS HIGHLY AMPLIFIED WITH THE AREA PREDOMINATELY UNDER
THE INFLUENCE OF A STRONG UPPER RIDGE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE WELL
ABOVE AVERAGE WITH BELOW AVERAGE PRECIPITATION. THE BIGGEST CHANGE
MADE TO THE EXTENDED WAS TO RAISE TEMPERATURES AS THERE WILL
LIKELY BE SOME TRIPLE DIGIT HEAT NEXT WEEK.

SAT NIGHT & SUNDAY...THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS AND ENSEMBLES ARE IN
GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE PERIOD BEGINS WITH A STRONG RIDGE WHICH WILL
EXTEND FROM THE 4-CORNERS REGION NORTH THROUGH MONTANA AND INTO
ALBERTA.  TROUGHS WILL BE FOUND ON EITHER SIDE OF THE STRONG RIDGE
OFF THE WEST COAST AND FROM THE HUDSON BAY SOUTH INTO THE OHIO
VALLEY.  THIS WILL KEEP THE LOCAL AREA HOT WITH A MINIMAL THREAT OF
CONVECTION.  AS THE RIDGE AXIS SHIFTS SLOWLY EAST BY SUNDAY A LITTLE
ELEVATED CONVECTION ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA SHOULD FIRE UP BY
AFTERNOON AND COULD TRY TO DRIFT INTO OUR SOUTHWEST ZONES LATE IN
THE DAY.  HEIGHTS AND THICKNESS VALES ALONG WITH 850MB TEMPS UP
AROUND 30C AND 700MB INTO THE TEENS (C) SUPPORT WIDESPREAD HIGHS
WELL INTO THE 90S...AND PROBABLY A FEW SPOTS AOA 100F.  THE ONGOING
FORECAST HANDLED THINGS WELL AND THE ONLY ADJUSTMENT WAS TO BOOST
TEMPERATURES A FEW MORE DEGREES.

MONDAY & TUESDAY...SOME ENERGY THAT EJECTS FROM THE TROUGH OFF THE
WEST COAST PUSHES THROUGH CANADA.  MOST OF THE MODELS/ENSEMBLES SHOW
SOME FLATTENING OF THE NORTHERN PERIPHERY OF THE RIDGE. THIS COULD
POTENTIALLY ALLOW SOME SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND A VERY WEAK COLD FRONT
TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA WITH ISOLATED CONVECTION SUNDAY NIGHT.  BY
LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY THE RIDGE FLEXES IT/S MUSCLE AND BEGINS TO
AMPLIFY ACROSS THE AREA FOR MORE HOT AND MAINLY DRY WEATHER.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY...THE GENERAL TREND APPEARS TO BRING MORE
TROUGHINESS INTO THE WEST COAST WITH THE STRONG RIDGE SHIFTING A BIT
EAST INTO THE CENTRAL UNITED STATES.  THIS WOULD KEEP THE LOCAL AREA
UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF A STRONG THERMAL RIDGE AND IN A VERY TOASTY
AIRMASS.  DEPENDING ON THE POSITION OF THE TROUGH AND HOW MUCH
MOISTURE AND SHORT WAVE ENERGY IS AROUND WOULD ALSO MEAN THE
POTENTIAL FOR SOME CONVECTION LATER IN THE WEEK THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO TIME THIS FAR OUT.  THE BIGGEST CHANGE DURING THIS TIME WAS TO
RAISE TEMPERATURES A FEW TO SEVERAL DEGREES WITH WIDESPREAD HIGHS IN
THE MID 90S TO LOW 100S LIKELY. CB

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR UNDER MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES. SIMONSEN

&&

.CLIMATE...
THE MONTH OF JULY IS OFF TO A WARMER AND DRIER THAN AVERAGE START.
THROUGH THE 11TH...THE AVERAGE TEMPERATURE OF 73.1 DEGREES IS 4.2
DEGREES ABOVE AVERAGE.  ONLY 27 HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH OF RAIN HAS
FALLEN...WHICH IS 44 HUNDREDTHS BELOW AVERAGE. CB

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 heat. Local standard time, as filed.

Heat, Central and Southern Valley

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Central and Se Phillips

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Daniels

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Dawson

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Eastern Roosevelt

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Garfield

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Little Rocky Mountains

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, McCone

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Northern Phillips

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Petroleum

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Prairie

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Prairie forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Richland

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Sheridan

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Central and Se Phillips

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Wibaux

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Wibaux forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Western Roosevelt

When: July 13, 12:00 AM MST to July 31, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heat: Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2007 Every state in 2007 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, July 2007

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: 39187, 49108, 49109, 49110, 49111, 49112, 49113, 49114, 49115, 49117, 49208, 49211, 49212, 49213, 49214, 49216.