Scattered showers and thunderstorms, a few with severe winds, developed ahead of an approaching upper low.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms, a few with severe winds, developed ahead of an approaching upper low.
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 Apr 29, 1:45 PM MST, 3 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 245 PM MDT TUE APR 29 2008 .DISCUSSION... A STRONG SURFACE AREA OF LOW PRESSURE CONTINUES TO RAPIDLY DEVELOP OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON. NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS HAVE MOVED INTO NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. NEW THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DEVELOP BY 4 PM OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA. THE MAIN THREAT FROM THESE STORMS WILL BE WIND GUSTS UP TO 50 MPH AND SMALL HAIL. ALTHOUGH AN ISOLATED SEVERE THUNDERSTORM CAN NOT BE RULED OUT...THE PROBABILITY OF A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM IS TO LOW TO MENTION IN THE ZONES. EXPECT COLDER AIR TO MOVE INTO THE REGION AFTER MIDNIGHT...CHANGING THE RAIN TO SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. THERE WILL BE SOME ACCUMULATION OF SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS...BUT LITTLE TO NO SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW ADVISORY CRITERIA. FOR WEDNESDAY...THE GFS/NAM ARE SLOWER AT EXITING THE PRECIP...THUS THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE FOR RAIN/SNOW TO FALL OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA WITH A CHANCE FOR PRECIP OVER NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. EXPECT MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURES OVER THE REGION FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...WITH AFTERNOON HIGHS CLOSE TO 25 DEGREES COOLER THAN TODAY. FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...EXPECT A FEW SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE REGION AS THE AIRMASS REMAINS A BIT UNSTABLE DO TO VERY COLD AIR ALOFT. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW NORMAL ACROSS THE REGION. BRUSDA THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A WEAK TROF OF LOWER PRESSURE ALOFT WILL REMAIN OVER THE ZONES THURSDAY NIGHT BUT HEIGHTS WILL BE RISING AND A WEAK RIDGE WILL BE IN PLACE BY FRIDAY NOON. WEAK DISTURBANCES CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THIS WEAK HIGH PRESSURE AND AREAS WEST OF THE DIVIDE BECOME QUITE MOIST. HOWEVER...THE AIRMASS GENERALLY REMAINS STABLE AND DYNAMICS WILL BE WEAK THROUGH SATURDAY...THUS POPS WILL REMAIN LOW. WEAK INSTABILITY MAY BEGIN TO DEVELOP BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON OVER THE SOUTHWEST ZONES ALTHOUGH THIS WOULD BE RESTRICTED TO THE FAR SOUTH. TEMPS REMAIN BELOW NORMALS THROUGH SATURDAY BUT WARM TO NEAR NORMALS BY SUNDAY. RISING TEMPS AND INCREASED MOISTURE WILL ALLOW INSTABILITY TO BECOME A LARGER FACTOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON...MAINLY ACROSS THE ROCKIES AND SOUTHWEST ZONES...AND SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS LOOK REASONABLE. ZELZER MONDAY AND TUESDAY...LATEST MODEL RUNS SHOW CONSIDERABLE DIFFERENCES FOR THIS PERIOD. PACIFIC DISTURBANCES ARE EXPECTED TO FLOW THROUGH A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WHICH WILL CAUSE SCATTERED MOUNTAIN SHOWERS. THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS WILL HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR SHOWERS AT THIS POINT BUT MAY TREND DRIER AND WARMER IF HIGH PRESSURE STRENGTHENS WITH THE NEXT FEW MODEL RUNS. SAUCIER && .AVIATION... A STRONG UPPER LEVEL LOW OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL ROTATE INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS OVERNIGHT. AHEAD OF THE TROUGH A MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING INCREASING MID LEVEL CLOUDS AND A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AFTER 21Z. SMALL HAIL AND GUSTS TO NEAR 50 KTS ARE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORMS THAT DEVELOP. AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AREA DURING THE EVENING AND OVERNIGHT. BEHIND THE FRONT WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NORTH AND NORTHWEST WITH LOW CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION INCREASING ACROSS MUCH OF THE REGION FOR AREAS OF MVFR CONDITIONS AND LOCAL IFR CONDITIONS DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES AS RAIN CHANGES OVER TO SNOW. MPJ && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 34 47 29 51 / 70 30 20 20 CTB 34 47 29 50 / 60 40 40 20 HLN 35 50 31 53 / 70 40 30 20 BZN 32 46 29 51 / 80 60 40 30 WEY 26 38 17 43 / 60 70 50 30 DLN 31 41 25 47 / 80 60 30 20 HVR 36 51 28 55 / 60 60 30 20 LWT 30 45 24 47 / 60 40 20 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 908 AM MDT TUE APR 29 2008 MTZ008-011>015-047-049>055-301200- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON- JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 908 AM MDT TUE APR 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER THE REGION THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING...AS A COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE REGION. GUSTY WINDS AND SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH ANY THUNDERSTORM. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...ESPECIALLY OVER THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA...WHERE UP TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW MAY ACCUMULATE. LITTLE...IF ANY SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ009-010-044>046-048-301200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 908 AM MDT TUE APR 29 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .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.
The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 30 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:50 UTC.
2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gust of wind out ahead of a thunderstorm produced concentrated area of damage at a farm. Large aluminum trailer was flipped over. Metal sheeting from roof of lean-to structure was lifted and carried 50 yards. All debris carried off toward the northeast.
Wind gust measured at Loma Montana Department of Transportation sensor. Power outages and broken power lines also scattered across the county. Damage from winds associated with a gust front.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2008
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: 87214, 87215.