Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 13, 2009

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 13, 2009
Start: 2009-07-13T13:35
End: 2009-07-13T18:39
Location: Montana

July 13, 2009 · NWS BYZ · 6 events in 3 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms moved across the central portions of the Billings County Warning Area during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 13th.

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: 6

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 moved across the central portions of the Billings County Warning Area during the afternoon and early evening hours of the 13th.

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 13, 12:12 PM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 13, 12:12 PM MST, 1 hour 23 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 13, 7:17 AM MST, 6 hours 18 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 13, 9:47 AM MST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1047 AM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

MTZ037-131745-
CARTER MT-
1047 AM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN CARTER COUNTY UNTIL 1145
AM MDT...

AT 1046 AM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING
A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 11 MILES WEST OF ALZADA...OR 46 MILES SOUTHEAST
OF BROADUS...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
ALZADA AROUND 1100 AM MDT.
ALBION AROUND 1115 AM MDT.

IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...TAKE SHELTER IN A
STURDY BUILDING.

LAT...LON 4499 10406 4499 10430 4500 10467 4537 10483
      4556 10404 4552 10403 4500 10404
TIME...MOT...LOC 1647Z 246DEG 39KT 4505 10463

Special weather statement, Jul 13, 12:50 PM MST, 45 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
150 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

MTZ039-132045-
EASTERN CARBON MT-
150 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHEASTERN CARBON COUNTY UNTIL
245 PM MDT...

AT 149 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 16 MILES SOUTHEAST OF RED LODGE...OR JUST SOUTH
OF BELFRY...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 30 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
BELFRY AROUND 155 PM MDT.
WARREN AROUND 220 PM MDT.

LAT...LON 4503 10914 4509 10914 4528 10871 4522 10870
      4522 10822 4514 10816 4511 10819 4499 10875
      4499 10911
TIME...MOT...LOC 1950Z 242DEG 28KT 4504 10900

Special weather statement, Jul 13, 1:19 PM MST, 16 minutes before

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
219 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

MTZ038-132115-
SOUTHERN BIG HORN MT-
219 PM MDT MON JUL 13 2009

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN BIG HORN COUNTY UNTIL
315 PM MDT...

AT 217 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
STRONG THUNDERSTORM 18 MILES SOUTHEAST OF FORT SMITH...MOVING
NORTHEAST AT 35 MPH.

HAIL UP TO THE SIZE OF PENNIES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE
EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT
DANGEROUS LIGHTNING.

THIS STORM WILL BE NEAR...
WYOLA AND ABERDEEN AROUND 245 PM MDT.
LODGE GRASS AROUND 300 PM MDT.

THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ACROSS SOUTHERN BIG HORN
COUNTY THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON.

LAT...LON 4511 10792 4550 10712 4510 10697 4499 10758
      4500 10782
TIME...MOT...LOC 2018Z 237DEG 29KT 4508 10774

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 111 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:34 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 hail, 2 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Big Horn

When: July 13, 1:35 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 14.04 mi WNW of Aberdeen
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.090, -107.690

Hail, Musselshell

When: July 13, 3:40 PM MST
Where: Musselshell County, Klein
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 46.400, -108.530

Hail, Musselshell

When: July 13, 3:42 PM MST
Where: Musselshell County, Klein
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 46.400, -108.530

Hail, Musselshell

When: July 13, 4:46 PM MST
Where: Musselshell County, 0.84 mi SW of Klein
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Reported by: Amateur Radio
Coordinates: 46.390, -108.540

Thunderstorm Wind, Treasure

When: July 13, 6:17 PM MST
Where: Treasure County, 1.99 mi SW of Hysham Arpt
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.260, -107.230

A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was estimated 2 miles south of Hysham.

Thunderstorm Wind, Treasure

When: July 13, 6:39 PM MST
Where: Treasure County, 0.84 mi NE of Hysham Arpt
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 46.290, -107.190

A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was estimated 2 miles east of Hysham.

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 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, July 2009

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 178382, 178383, 178384, 178385, 181431, 181432.