A wildfire started 10 miles southeast of Butte, MT as a result of lightning strikes.
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.
A wildfire started 10 miles southeast of Butte, MT as a result of lightning strikes.
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 Aug 31, 10:00 PM MST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1100 PM MDT FRI AUG 31 2012 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .UPDATE... LATEST RADAR/SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS MONSOONAL MOISTURE CONTINUING TO STREAM INTO SOUTHWEST AND PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MT AND GENERATING ISOLATED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS MAINLY SOUTH OF LINE FROM BUTTE TO WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS. THERE ARE ALSO RADAR ECHOES ALONG THE I-15 CORRIDOR FROM HELENA TO CONRAD BUT HARD TO TELL IF ANY PRECIPITATION IS ACTUALLY REACHING THE GROUND THERE AT THIS TIME. MADE FORECAST ADJUSTMENTS TO EXPAND THE AREA OF SHOWERS OVER THE CENTRAL COUNTIES TO BETTER MATCH CURRENT RADAR TRENDS AND INCREASED PRECIP CHANCES OVER SOUTHWEST MT AS ADDITIONAL MOISTURE UPSTREAM IN IDAHO/UTAH WILL ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT. WARANAUSKAS && .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A WEATHER DISTURBANCE OVER NORTHEAST NEVADA AT MID-AFTERNOON ON FRIDAY WILL MOVE NORTHEAST THROUGH SOUTHWEST AND CENTRAL MONTANA TONIGHT. MONSOONAL MOISTURE AND WEAK INSTABILITY ASSOCIATED WITH THE DISTURBANCE WILL LEAD TO ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. ON SATURDAY AN UPPER TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL SWING INTO ALBERTA DURING THE AFTERNOON. THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL SLOWLY BE MOVING SOUTHEAST THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA. GUSTY WINDS WILL DEVELOP BEHIND THE COLD FRONT WHILE ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT. AS THE UPPER TROUGH CONTINUES MOVING EAST SATURDAY NIGHT A DRIER AIRMASS WILL INVADE THE AREA. ON SUNDAY EXPECT A DRY WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT AND THE AIRMASS SHOULD BE STABLE EXCEPT POSSIBLY OVER FAR SOUTHWEST MONTANA. BLANK SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...A RATHER QUIET AND LATE SUMMER LIKE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE OVER THE REGION FOR MUCH OF THE FIRST WEEK OF SEPTEMBER. THE ONLY CHANGEABLE WEATHER EXPECTED NEXT WEEK WILL BE ON TUESDAY...WHEN A QUICK MOVING CANADIAN COOL FRONT SWEEPS THROUGH THE REGION. THIS SYSTEM WILL NOT HAVE VERY MUCH MOISTURE TO WORK WITH...THUS ANY CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED MAINLY TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...AND THE NORTHERN TIER OF THE REGION...MAINLY NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 ON TUESDAY. THE REMAINDER OF THE DAYS SHOULD BE MOST DRY...WITH LITTLE/NO PRECIPITATION EXPECTED. IN TERMS OF TEMPERATURES...ABOVE NORMAL AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED EVERYDAY EXPECT TUESDAY...AS ON THAT DAY...TEMPERATURES WILL FALL DOWN A FEW DEGREES TO NEAR NORMAL READINGS BEHIND THE QUICK MOVING CANADIAN COOL FRONT. BECAUSE THERE IS VERY LITTLE MOISTURE IN THE SOIL...AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL QUICKLY WARM BACK UP TO ABOVE NORMAL READINGS FOR WED-FRI...AS A NEW UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE REGION. OVERNIGHT LOWS NEXT WEEK WILL BE SEASONABLE...EVEN A BIT CHILLY IN HIGHER ELEVATION VALLEYS...AS THE VERY DRY AIR IN PLACE COMBINED WITH LITTLE CLOUD COVER...WILL ALLOW FOR GOOD RADIATIONAL COOLING. BRUSDA && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0500Z. OVERALL VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. SMOKE FROM FOREST FIRES WILL CONTINUE TO CAUSE AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITY AND IFR/MVFR CONDITIONS ACROSS SOUTHWEST PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS CONTINUE CENTRAL AND SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA TONIGHT. A FEW STORMS MAY HOLD TOGETHER INTO THE MORNING OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA. SCATTERED MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE POSSIBLE THROUGH 09Z ASSOCIATED WITH STORMS. ACTIVITY WILL CALM DOWN THROUGH THE NIGHT IN MOST LOCATIONS BEFORE RETURNING SATURDAY AFTERNOON. MORE WIDESPREAD CONVECTION IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVER CENTRAL MONTANA RESULTING IN SCATTERED SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS POTENTIALLY AFFECTING ALL TERMINALS EXCEPT KCTB THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING. && .FIRE WEATHER... CONFIDENCE IS HIGH FOR CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS SATURDAY AND AGAIN SUNDAY SO HAVE UPGRADED THE FIRE WEATHER WATCH TO A RED FLAG WARNING. THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER CONDITIONS WILL BE GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITIES. A COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR A CUT BANK TO MISSOULA LINE AT 6 AM...JUST NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM HAVRE TO GREAT FALLS TO BUTTE AT NOON...AND JUST NORTHWEST OF A LINE FROM LEWISTOWN TO BOZEMAN SHORTLY AFTER 6 PM. EXPECT A FEW THUNDERSTORMS AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THESE STORMS WILL HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE LITTLE IF ANY RAINFALL AND GUSTY WINDS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO BE LIGHTER OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA SUNDAY AFTERNOON IN COMPARISON TO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. HOWEVER WITH RELATIVE HUMIDITIES OF 10 TO 15 PERCENT AND WINDS STILL EXPECTED TO BE AROUND 10 MPH KEPT SOUTHWEST MONTANA IN THE RED FLAG WARNING FOR SUNDAY AS WELL AS SATURDAY. BLANK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 57 87 44 80 / 20 10 10 0 CTB 50 81 42 76 / 10 10 10 0 HLN 56 83 47 81 / 30 20 10 0 BZN 50 82 41 80 / 30 30 20 0 WEY 39 70 34 71 / 30 50 30 10 DLN 50 78 41 78 / 40 30 20 0 HVR 58 91 46 81 / 20 10 10 0 LWT 56 85 43 76 / 20 20 20 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING FROM NOON SATURDAY TO 9 PM MDT SUNDAY BLAINE... BROADWATER...CASCADE...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK... CHOUTEAU...EASTERN GLACIER...EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON... HILL...JEFFERSON...JUDITH BASIN...LIBERTY...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...TOOLE. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT SUNDAY FERGUS...GALLATIN... MEAGHER. RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 9 PM MDT SATURDAY MADISON. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 354 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2012 MTZ054-055-011145- MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 354 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON FRIDAY TO 9 PM MDT SATURDAY FOR FOR PORTIONS OF MEAGHER AND GALLATIN COUNTIES FOR INCREASING THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY WITH STRONG GUSTY WINDS...UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES AND LOW HUMIDITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE RED FLAG WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL 9 PM SATURDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ009>014-044>051-011145- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE- CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 354 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TODAY IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A FIRE WEATHER WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FOR GUSTY WINDS AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ008-015-052-053-011145- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER- 354 AM MDT FRI AUG 31 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A wildfire started 10 miles southeast of Butte, MT as a result of lightning strikes. The fire burned over 4,000 acres with the Jefferson County Sheriff's office confirming 14 residences, an undetermined number of secondary structures. trailers, cars, and trucks all being lost in the fire.
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, September 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: 406155.