Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 18, 2008

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 18, 2008
Start: 2008-07-18T14:15
End: 2008-07-18T17:15
Location: Montana

July 18, 2008 · NWS BYZ · 14 events in 6 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms producing large hail and severe wind gusts moved across Southeast Montana during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 18th.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. 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: 14

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 BYZ wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms producing large hail and severe wind gusts moved across Southeast Montana during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 18th.

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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 18, 1:14 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 18, 1:14 PM MST, 1 hour 1 minute before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
214 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2008

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR SAT AND SUN...

ACTIVE EVENING ANTICIPATED AS INGREDIENTS COMING TOGETHER FOR
SEVERE WEATHER POTENTIAL...WATCH ISSUED FOR CENTRAL AND EASTERN
COUNTIES. UPPER JET DYNAMICS WILL NOSE INTO SOUTHERN
MONTANA/NORTHERN WYOMING WHILE LOW LEVEL MOISTURE INCREASES ON A
SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST FLOW AT THE SURFACE IN THE CENTRAL AND EASTERN
ZONES THROUGH THE DAY. CAPE VALUES SHOULD APPROACH 1000-2000 J/KG
IN THESE AREAS. THE JET ALOFT AND SOUTHEAST WINDS AT THE SURFACE
WILL CREATE A FAVORABLE SHEAR PROFILE AND MAY POSSIBLY SEE SOME
GOOD ROTATION IN STORMS NEAR THE SOUTHEAST CORNER OF MONTANA BY
LATE AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING.

GOOD ENERGY MOVING ACROSS OUR REGION AS WELL TO AID UPPER
DYNAMICS. STORMS CURRENTLY DEVELOPING TO WEST SHOULD INTENSIFY AS
THEY MOVE OFF TO THE EAST OVER A JUICIER ENVIRONMENT. CONDITIONS
SHOULD BE RIPE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MCS BY MID EVENING IN THE
FAR EAST SECTIONS. HEAVY RAIN DUE TO PRECIP WATER VALUES WELL
OVER AN INCH IN THE CENTRAL AND EAST. ANY TRAINING ECHOES MAY BE A
PROBLEM FOR FLASH FLOODING IN EAST THIS EVENING.

ONCE ACTIVITY IS EAST THIS EVENING IT SHOULD SLOWLY PROPAGATE
EASTWARD OUT OF THE REGION. DRIER AIR MOVING INTO MUCH OF THE AREA
OVERNIGHT IN ITS WAKE. UPPER WAVE WILL BE MOVING ACROSS CANADA MAY
SPREAD SOME ENERGY DOWN INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA AND CLIP OUR FAR
EASTERN ZONES LATE SATURDAY. A RIDGE WILL THEN BUILD INTO ROCKIES
FROM THE SOUTH SUNDAY. THIS MAY ALLOW A LITTLE MONSOON MOISTURE
INTO THE MOUNTAINS IN THE SOUTHERN ZONES...BUT WILL OTHERWISE MEAN
WARMER TEMPERATURES. BT

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR MON...TUE...WED...THU...FRI...

VERY FEW CHANGES MADE TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST THIS AFTERNOON.
MODELS STILL IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT BUT DO DIFFER ON THE TIMING
OF SOME OF THE FEATURES.

UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS IN FOR MONDAY WITH SOME STRONGER ENERGY
MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW ON THE GFS MODEL WITH THE ECMWF NOT AS
STRONG WITH THE ENERGY. RIDGE STARTS TO BREAK DOWN ON TUESDAY AND
WEDNESDAY WITH A SOUTHWEST FLOW SETTING UP. SEVERAL PIECES OF
ENERGY MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW THROUGH THE END OF NEXT WEEK. GFS
SHOWING SIGNS OF A BUILDING RIDGE INTO NEXT WEEKEND WITH THE
ECMWF HOLDING ONTO THE SOUTHWEST FLOW.

SO OVERALL...WITH POPS...HAVE KEPT AT LEAST A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
PRECIP IN FOR MOST PERIODS FOR MOST LOCATIONS. TEMPERATURES DO
LOOK WARMEST ON MONDAY WITH RIDGE IN PLACE AND A SLIGHT COOL DOWN
BEYOND THAT AS SOUTHWEST FLOW SETS UP. SOLUM

&&

.AVIATION...

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS MUCH
OF THE AREA. SOME SEVERE STORMS ARE POSSIBLE EAST OF A RED LODGE
TO BIG TIMBER TO RYEGATE LINE THROUGH THIS EVENING...WITH LARGE
HAIL THE MAIN THREAT. MVFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED IN HEAVY RAIN
WITH ANY STORMS...WITH IFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE WITH THE STRONGEST
STORMS. OUTSIDE OF STORMS VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL THROUGH
TONIGHT. SOLUM

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...

    SAT     SUN     MON     TUE     WED     THU     FRI
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 059/087 058/091 060/096 062/091 062/092 062/092 062/094
    30/U    00/U    02/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
LVM 046/085 048/091 050/091 050/087 053/088 051/090 051/092
    20/U    01/U    12/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
HDN 057/088 057/093 060/099 061/093 061/093 060/095 058/097
    30/U    01/U    12/T    22/T    22/T    12/T    22/T
MLS 059/087 058/092 062/095 064/091 064/092 063/095 063/097
    52/T    10/U    02/T    22/T    22/T    00/U    01/U
4BQ 058/087 059/091 062/094 062/090 062/092 062/093 061/095
    62/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    00/U    01/U
BHK 058/085 056/089 058/090 060/088 059/086 059/091 059/093
    63/T    20/U    02/T    22/T    22/T    00/U    01/U
SHR 052/085 052/089 056/094 056/085 056/088 056/090 055/093
    32/T    02/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T

&&

.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 699 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS
      EVENING FOR ZONES 29>39-42-56>58-63-66-67.
WY...SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH 699 IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 PM MDT THIS
      EVENING FOR ZONES 98-99.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 18, 1:22 PM MST, 53 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
222 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2008

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-192030-
SOUTHERN WHEATLAND-MUSSELSHELL-TREASURE-NORTHERN ROSEBUD-CUSTER-
FALLON-NORTHERN STILLWATER-YELLOWSTONE-POWDER RIVER-CARTER-
SOUTHERN BIG HORN-EASTERN CARBON-NORTHERN PARK-
NORTHERN SWEET GRASS-GOLDEN VALLEY-RED LODGE FOOTHILLS-
NORTHERN BIG HORN-SOUTHERN ROSEBUD-JUDITH GAP-PARADISE VALLEY-
LIVINGSTON AREA-BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS-ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS-
CRAZY MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS-SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS-
222 PM MDT FRI JUL 18 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE STORMS MAY BE SEVERE EAST OF A LINE
FROM RYEGATE TO COLUMBUS TO RED LODGE. THESE THUNDERSTORMS MAY
CONTAIN DAMAGING WINDS...LARGE HAIL AND VERY HEAVY RAIN. THE VERY BEST
POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE STORMS WILL BE EAST OF A SHERIDAN TO MILES
CITY LINE THIS EVENING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 248 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:16 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 hail, 4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Custer

When: July 18, 2:15 PM MST
Where: Custer County, 7.06 mi SSE of Knowlton
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.250, -105.050

Hail, Fallon

When: July 18, 2:33 PM MST
Where: Fallon County, 21.4 mi SSW of Westmore
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.200, -104.850

Hail, Big Horn

When: July 18, 3:05 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 18.87 mi SE of Kuehn
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.620, -106.800

Hail, Carter

When: July 18, 3:14 PM MST
Where: Carter County, 4.82 mi NE of Ekalaka Arpt
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.930, -104.450

Estimated wind gusts of 60 mph were reported.

Hail, Carter

When: July 18, 3:15 PM MST
Where: Carter County, 5.53 mi N of Ekalaka
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.960, -104.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 18, 3:20 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 3.21 mi ENE of Lame Deer
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.620, -106.610

Wind gusts were estimated at 60 mph in Lame Deer.

Hail, Carter

When: July 18, 3:26 PM MST
Where: Carter County, 2.93 mi NNW of Mill Iron
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.890, -104.240

Hail, Carter

When: July 18, 3:43 PM MST
Where: Carter County, 5.29 mi E of Mill Iron
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.850, -104.110

Hail, Powder River

When: July 18, 4:05 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 5.2 mi NW of Otter
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.250, -106.200

Heavy rain occurred with 1.4 inches in forty minutes resulting in localized flooding. A telephone pole was blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Powder River

When: July 18, 4:25 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 7.18 mi NNW of Otter
Measured: 64 kt (74 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.300, -106.160

A wind gust of 74 mph was recorded 7 miles north/northeast of Otter.

Thunderstorm Wind, Powder River

When: July 18, 4:50 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 6.22 mi NW of Bay Hope
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.100, -105.660

An estimated wind gust of 60 mph was reported 15 miles west of Biddle.

Hail, Powder River

When: July 18, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 11.25 mi ESE of Sayle
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.180, -105.750

Winds were estimated at 60 to 70 mph.

Thunderstorm Wind, Powder River

When: July 18, 5:10 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 5.9 mi E of Bowers
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.010, -105.350

Four to five inch diameter tree branches were reported broken as a result of a 60 mph estimated wind gust six miles south of Biddle.

Hail, Powder River

When: July 18, 5:15 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 11.25 mi ESE of Sayle
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.180, -105.750

Estimated wind gusts of 60 to 70 mph were also reported.

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, July 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: 124679, 124681, 124682, 124684, 124685, 124683, 124677, 124686, 124952, 124954, 124687, 124689, 124688, 124678.