Drought in Montana, August 1 to 31, 2008

Name: Drought in Montana, August 1 to 31, 2008
Start: 2008-08-01T00:00
End: 2008-08-31T23:59
Location: Montana

August 1 to 31, 2008 · NWS GGW · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

Below normal winter, spring and summer precipitation exacerbated drought conditions across eastern Montana resulting in widespread extreme drought (D3) levels in Sheridan, eastern Roosevelt, eastern Richland, and Wibaux counties. Severe drought (D2) encompassed Daniels, western Roosevelt, western Richland, eastern McCone, Dawson, and eastern Prairie counties.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 9 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: 9

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.

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 31, 7:56 PM MST, 4 hours 4 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 31, 7:56 PM MST, 4 hours 4 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
856 PM MDT THU JUL 31 2008

.SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...
SURFACE HIGH SLIDING INTO THE DAKOTAS WITH A RIDGE ALOFT PROVIDING
A CLEAR SKY AND LIGHT WIND. CURRENT FORECAST HAS THINGS ABOUT
RIGHT AND WILL MAKE NO CHANGES FOR THE NIGHT.

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
VERY WARM/HOT TEMPS EXPECTED FRIDAY WITH A BIT OF A COOL
DOWN FOR SATURDAY. THERE MAY BE A STORM OR TWO ASSOCIATED FRIDAY
NIGHT AND SATURDAY.

AN UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE AREA TONIGHT AND A SURFACE LOW
OVER ALBERTA WITH A TRAILING COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SE IN OUR
DIRECTION. THIS WILL HELP TO BRING IN A HOT/DRY AIRMASS INTO THE
AREA. WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AT THE MOMENT WAS SHOWING SOME DEEP
MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE BACKSIDE OF THE RIDGE...MOVING
NORTHEAST INTO THE ROCKIES. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS WILL BE TAPPED AS A
SW UPPER FLOW BECOMES ESTABLISHED FRIDAY NIGHT. THE SURFACE TROUGH
IS EXPECTED TO MOVE WELL INTO THE DAKOTAS SATURDAY...SO LOWERED POPS
OVER THE EASTERN ZONES FOR THE AFTERNOON. A WEAK IMPULSE LATE
SATURDAY LOOKS TO BRING THE BETTER CHANCES TO THE WESTERN ZONES...SO
SHIFTED THE SLIGHT CHANCE POPS TO THIS AREA. JAMBA

.LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...
AN UPPER TROUGH...ANCHORED BY A CLOSED LOW IN NORTHERN
SASKATCHEWAN...WILL SEND A WEAK FRONT OVER THE AREA SATURDAY
NIGHT. WITH WEAK INSTABILITY APPARENT...COULD GENERATE A FEW
SHOWERS AND STORMS. INHERITED SLIGHT CHANCE POPS STILL LOOK GOOD.
00Z ECMWF/12Z GEM HAVE UPPER FLOW TENDING ZONAL SUNDAY/SUNDAY
NIGHT. HOWEVER THE 12Z GFS AND ECMWF DEVELOPS A DEEPER TROUGH
OVER THE ROCKIES SENDING SOUTHWEST FLOW WITH A FEW RIPPLES ACROSS
THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT. THEREFORE DID A LITTLE MODEL BLENDING TO
BUMP SUNDAY NIGHT POPS UP A FEW POINTS JUST TO SLIGHT CHANCE.
ACCORDING TO GFS/ECMWF THE SHORTWAVE SWINGS INTO MONTANA MONDAY. THE
STRONGER SHORTWAVE WILL INITIATE SHOWERS AND CONVECTION MONDAY
AND POSSIBLY INTO EARLY EVENING. ADJUSTED MONDAY POPS UP SLIGHTLY
TO CHANCE. OTHERWISE...THE REMAINING EXTENDED PERIODS LOOK GOOD
WITHOUT THE NEED FOR FURTHER GRID EDITS. SCT

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...
DESPITE NO 00Z ECMWF GUIDANCE AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME...REMAINING
MODELS DO ADVERTISE A POSITIVELY TILTED TROF TO AFFECT THE REGION
MONDAY. IN ADVANCE OF THIS TROF/S AXIS IT APPEARS THAT SOUTHWEST
FLOW AND A FAVORED UPPER JET QUADRANT WILL TEAM WITH A STALLING
COLD FRONT SATURDAY NIGHT TO GENERATE A FEW STORMS. DRY WESTERLY
SURFACE FLOW BEHIND A DRYLINE/SURFACE TROF IN NORTH DAKOTA WILL
LIKELY KEEP ANY PRECIP ON THE SCANT SIDE...SO KEPT MENTION OF
SHOWERS OUT. DID RETAIN SOME POPS MONDAY AS THE BASE OF THE TROF
PASSES THROUGH...BUT DON/T SEE ENOUGH EVIDENCE ATTM TO GO HIGHER
THAN SLIGHT CHANCE. AM NOT ON BOARD WITH THE GFS HANGING THIS
ENERGY FARTHER BACK COMPARED TO THE WEAKER NOGAPS...GEM AND PAST
ECWMF SOLUTIONS. GFS ENSEMBLE H5 HEIGHTS EXHIBIT CONSIDERABLE
SPREAD BY TUESDAY AS IT ATTEMPTS TO RESOLVE THIS FEATURE...SO WILL
AVOID ITS PATTERN FROM HERE ON IN FAVOR OF A FLATTER NORTHWEST
FLOW ALONG THE BACKSIDE OF THE DEPARTING TROF.

AFTER SOME PLEASANT TEMPERATURES THIS WEEKEND GOING INTO
MONDAY...BUILDING HEIGHT FIELDS SHOULD SLOWLY PUSH HIGH TEMPS BACK
TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL BY MIDWEEK. NO HEAT WAVES ON THE HORIZON
YET AS NORTHEAST MONTANA SHOULD STAY EAST OF AN UPPER RIDGE
AXIS...AND EVEN THIS RIDGE APPEARS RATHER MODEST IN STRENGTH. MCZ

&&

.AVIATION...
AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL PASS EAST OVER THE REGION TONIGHT
RESULTING IN VFR THROUGH FRIDAY. HIGH SURFACE PRESSURE MOVES EAST INTO
NORTH DAKOTA SHIFTING SURFACE WINDS SOUTHEASTERLY THIS EVENING AT
AROUND 10 KTS OR LESS. A SURFACE TROUGH WILL DEVELOP FRIDAY WHICH
WILL MOVE EAST BY EVENING...SHIFTING SURFACE WIND AROUND TO THE
NORTHWEST LATE FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SCT

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...
A HOT/DRY AIRMASS WILL BE MOVING INTO THE AREA FRIDAY...BRINGING LOW
HUMIDITIES WITH MINIMUM READINGS IN THE TEENS. WINDS HOWEVER ARE
EXPECTED TO BE LESS THAN 20 MPH SO HIGHLIGHTS (RED FLAG/FIRE WEATHER
WATCHES) ARE NOT EXPECTED. AN ISOLATED DRY THUNDERSTORM OR TWO
FRIDAY NIGHT IS POSSIBLE THOUGH AS ANY WOULD MOVE NORTHEAST FROM
CENTRAL/SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA. JAMBA

&&

.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

9 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, Sheridan

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Eastern Roosevelt

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Richland

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Wibaux

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Wibaux forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Daniels

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Western Roosevelt

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, McCone

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Prairie

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Prairie forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Drought, Dawson

When: August 1, 12:00 AM MST to August 31, 11:59 PM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Reported by: Other Federal Agency
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Drought: A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, August 2008

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: 131099, 131100, 131102, 131103, 131104, 131105, 131106, 131107, 131121.