A strong storm system moved through northeast Montana during the late and overnight hours bringing destructive winds.
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 GGW wrote it up.
A strong storm system moved through northeast Montana during the late and overnight hours bringing destructive winds.
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 30, 7:12 PM MST, 2 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 812 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY HAS DECLINED IN INTENSITY OVER SOUTHWEST PARTS OF THE CWA. NONETHELESS...Q-VECTOR CONVERGENCE AHEAD OF A LITTLE SHORTWAVE IMPULSE IN THE MID-LEVEL FLOW IS FORECAST BY THE GFS MODEL TO CONTINUE OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING...WITH THIS ENERGY GRADUALLY MOVING EASTWARD. CURRENT RADAR ALSO SHOWS A FAIRLY LARGE AREA OF PRECIPITATION WEST OF THE CWA. THUS HAVE INCREASED THE COVERAGE FOR SIGNIFICANT POPS TO MOST OF THE CWA OVERNIGHT. SHOWER ACTIVITY COULD ALSO BE FED BY MOISTURE ADVECTION AS THE LOW LEVEL JET INCREASES DIURNALLY TONIGHT AHEAD OF A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE TO THE WEST. MARTIN PREVIOUS FORECAST... LARGE AREA OF UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE WILL REMAIN ANCHORED OVER THE SOUTHERN HIGH PLAINS THROUGH WEDNESDAY. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WILL SEND SHORTWAVES ACROSS THE PAC NW AND WRN CANADA AND EFFECTIVELY FLATTEN THE NORTHWARD EXTENT OF THE RIDGE OVER MT. THE FIRST SUCH SHORTWAVE CURRENTLY OVER SOUTHEAST BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL CONTINUE MOVING NORTHEAST TONIGHT...PULLING THE BETTER DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED WITH IT NORTH OF MT. HOWEVER...STEEP MID LEVEL LAPSE RATES RIDING OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF CENTRAL MT WILL TIE INTO DEVELOPING LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE...DECENT BULK SHEAR...INCREASING WEAK TO MODERATE LOW LEVEL JET AND ASSOCIATED POLEWARD MOISTURE TRANSPORT OVER ERN MT TO RESULT IN ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS TONIGHT...FOCUSED MAINLY SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. ANY STORMS THAT MOVE IN EARLY IN THE EVENING WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS 45 TO 55 MPH AND A SMALL PROBABILITY OF 60+ MPH. THE SURFACE BOUNDARY WILL MOVE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING AND WINDS WILL SHIFT TO THE NW. COULD GET BREEZY IN THE 10 TO 20 MPH RANGE IN THE AFTERNOON AS PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS. NO REAL COLD AIR ADVECTION FOR TUESDAY...SO HIGHS WILL BE SIMILAR TO TODAY...IF NOT SLIGHTLY WARMER. LOOKS LIKE A SIMILAR PATTERN FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY WITH YET ANOTHER SHORTWAVE DAMPING OUT AS IT BUCKS INTO THE RIDGE OVER MT AND WEAK LOW PRESSURE AT THE SURFACE POTENTIALLY FOCUSING SOME ISOLATED CONVECTION OVERNIGHT INTO WED MORNING...AGAIN MAINLY ACROSS THE SOUTHERN TIER OF NE MT. CONFIDENCE A LITTLE LOWER FOR TUES NIGHT SO KEPT RAIN CHANCES IN THE SLIGHT CATEGORY. THERE SHOULD BE A HEIGHTENED AWARENESS OF FIRE DANGER TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES EXPECTED TO DROP INTO THE 10 TO 15 PERCENT RANGE AND NORTHWEST WINDS TO BLOW 10 TO 15 MPH WITH HIGHER GUSTS ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI BREAKS. HELD OFF ON ISSUING A RED FLAG WARNING AFTER COORDINATING WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES ON THIS MARGINAL MID-SUMMER EVENT. MOYER .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... THE MAIN STORY IN THE LONG TERM FORECAST PERIOD IS THE STORM SYSTEM WHICH WILL PROVIDE SOME RELIEF FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA IN THE FORM OF COOLER TEMPERATURES AND THE CHANCE FOR SOME GOOD WETTING RAINS. THE TIME FRAME FOR THESE STORM WILL BE FROM FRIDAY MORNING THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING WITH MAINLY HOT AND DRY CONDITIONS ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. THE TIGHT UPPER LEVEL SHORT WAVE TROUGH...AT TIMES A SMALLER BUT POTENT CLOSED UPPER LOW SYSTEM...WHICH WILL PROVIDE NORTHEAST MONTANA WITH THESE WEEKEND STORMS...GOES THROUGH AN INTERESTING TRANSITION LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT. PREVIOUS TO WEDNESDAY IT IS A LOBE EXTENSION OF THE YUKON/ALASKAN LOW CENTER. BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...THE YUKON/ALASKA LOW PASSES IT TRAPEZE STYLE...AS ANOTHER LOBE EXTENSION...TO THE LARGER HUDSON BAY UPPER LOW CENTER. THE UPPER LOW COMPLEX CENTERED OVER HUDSON BAY GRABS HOLD OF IT AND SWEEPS IT ALONG THE EASTERN SLOPES OF THE CANADIAN FRONT RANGE AND THE US NORTHERN HIGH PLAINS. THIS TRAJECTORY WILL BRING THE SMALL CLOSED UPPER LOW OVER OUR CWA THROUGH THE EARLY PORTIONS OF THIS COMING WEEKEND. LONG TERM MODEL QPF SOLUTIONS SHOW FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT WITH WIDESPREAD WETTING RAINS FOR OUR CWA FROM 12Z ON FRIDAY THROUGH 06Z ON SATURDAY WITH QUICK CLEARING ON ITS HEELS FROM THE WEST AS THE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE RAPIDLY RE-BUILDS THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND NORTHERN ROCKIES SATURDAY...THEN QUICKLY FLATTENS INTO A ZONAL FLOW TO END THE FORECAST PERIOD. BMICKELSON PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...WEAK SHORTWAVE MOVING EAST ALONG MT/SASK BORDER WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL FLATTEN RIDGE INTO A NEARLY ZONAL FLOW FOR THURSDAY. UPPER TROUGH MOVING SOUTHEAST FROM NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA WILL PASS THROUGH MONTANA AND SASKATCHEWAN THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE SYSTEM WILL BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH NORTHEAST MONTANA THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS TO THE AREA. MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE LIMITED BUT THERE IS GOOD UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WITH THIS SYSTEM. FRIDAY WILL BE BREEZY AND COOLER WITH STRONG ENOUGH NORTHWEST WINDS THAT A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS LIKELY FOR FORT PECK LAKE. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL LINGER INTO SATURDAY BUT WARMER AIR WILL START RETURNING TO THE AREA. ECMWF HAS AN UPPER RIDGE BUILDING BACK INTO THE AREA BY SUNDAY WHILE THE GFS HAS A MORE ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. BOTH MODELS MAINTAIN A WARMING TREND THROUGH SUNDAY BUT THE ECMWF CONTINUES IT INTO MONDAY WHILE THE GFS WANTS TO BRING A COLD FRONT THROUGH. AT THIS POINT WILL KEEP NEXT MONDAY'S TEMPERATURES SIMILAR TO SUNDAY AND LET FURTHER MODEL RUNS SORT OUT THE DIFFERENCES. FORRESTER && .AVIATION... VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO PREVAIL FOR ALL TAF SITES TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT TONIGHT WILL BE ISOLATED. A REVIEW OF THE 00Z GGW SOUNDING REVEALED AN INVERTED V WIND PROFILE SUGGESTING THAT THE MAIN THREAT FROM ANY STORM WILL BE WIND GUSTS UP TO AROUND 40KTS PLUS. EXPECT SOME MID TO HIGH LEVEL CEILINGS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING. GENERAL WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO SHIFT AROUND TO THE WEST BY TUESDAY AFTERNOON. SCT && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 236 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 MTZ016-021>023-025>027-060-310845- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-DAWSON- PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 236 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT ISOLATED TO SCATTERED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH TONIGHT. STRONGEST STORMS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HAIL UP TO DIME SIZE AND WIND GUSTS 45 TO 55 MPH. AN ISOLATED SEVERE STORM WITH WIND GUSTS OVER 60 MPH IS POSSIBLE EARLY THIS EVENING WEST OF JORDAN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 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. MTZ017>020-024-059-061-062-310845- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY-DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT- RICHLAND-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 236 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 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.
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
542 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0535 PM HAIL 18 N WINNETT 47.26N 108.35W
07/30/2012 E0.25 INCH PETROLEUM MT 911 CALL CENTER
WIND GUSTS TO 30 MPH WITH MODERATE RAIN
&&
BBSPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 1030 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 MTZ016-017-059-061-310530- PHILLIPS-VALLEY- 1030 PM MDT MON JUL 30 2012 THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GLASGOW HAS ISSUED A SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR... CENTRAL VALLEY COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MONTANA... EASTERN PHILLIPS COUNTY IN NORTHEAST MONTANA... UNTIL 1130 PM MDT. AT 1024 PM MDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR INDICATED A STRONG THUNDERSTORM NEAR SACO...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35 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. LOCATIONS IN THE ADVISORY INCLUDE... HINSDALE... THIS STORM MAY INTENSIFY...SO BE CERTAIN TO MONITOR LOCAL RADIO AND TV STATIONS...AS WELL AS LOCAL CABLE TV OUTLETS...FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND POSSIBLE WARNINGS FROM THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE. LAT...LON 4893 10681 4846 10641 4830 10730 4859 10752 TIME...MOT...LOC 0429Z 242DEG 32KT 4846 10727 SCT WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 05:01 UTC.
4 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts up to 60 mph were measured at the South Sawmill Creek RAWS site.
Wind gusts up to 60 mph were measured at the King Coulee RAWS site.
Wind gusts up to 58 mph were measured at The Pines Recreation Area mesonet site.
Spotter used a wind anemometer to measure sustained winds of 56 mph and gusts up to 74 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 2012
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: 402156, 402157, 402158, 402159.