A push of monsoon moisture from the southwestern US helped to initiate thunderstorms across the region on July 16th. One of the thunderstorms produced strong gusty winds that impacted a forest service campground.
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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 MSO wrote it up.
A push of monsoon moisture from the southwestern US helped to initiate thunderstorms across the region on July 16th. One of the thunderstorms produced strong gusty winds that impacted a forest service campground.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 16, 12:42 PM PST, 6 hours 53 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Missoula MT 242 PM MDT Tue Jul 16 2013 ...FLASH FLOOD POTENTIAL IN CENTRAL IDAHO TODAY THROUGH TONIGHT... ...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WEDNESDAY... ...VERY HOT WEATHER RETURNS THIS WEEKEND... .DISCUSSION...A very moist airmass moving from south to north across the region is causing showers and thunderstorms this afternoon in central Idaho and Lemhi county. Relatively slow moving storms at 10-15 mph are expected with moderate to heavy rain. A flash flood watch has been issued through midnight MDT / 11pm PDT for the affected counties. Specific areas of concern include the Mustang burn scar along the Salmon River, and some drainages along Highway 93 from North Fork to Challis. Wednesday, an approaching shortwave will help make some thunderstorms stronger. Hail and stronger winds will be likely. Butte to Missoula to Libby and areas east will be affected by the strongest storms. Thursday into the weekend...A strong ridge of high pressure is expected to build over the North Rockies creating very warm and dry conditions. Temperatures will climb into the mid and upper 90s through the weekend in most valleys across the regin. The hottest days will be Saturday and Sunday with temperatures potentially reaching 100 degrees or warmer. This weather pattern will be much like the heat wave we experienced earlier this month, but this time expect very dry conditions with very low relative humiditys. In the far extended forecast period, models do indicate the ridge weakening, which could help bring temperatures back down to more seasonal temperatures in the mid to upper 80s. && .AVIATION...Gusty easterly winds will decrease this evening as cloud cover increases due to a strong push from the southwestern monsoon. Scattered thunderstorms with heavy rain will impact much of central Idaho through this evening. Thunderstorms will affect KSMN and potentially KBTM with storms decreasing between 03Z and 06Z. && .MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MT...None. ID...None. && Leach/Robinson Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! https://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.Missoula.gov https://www.twitter.com/NWSMissoula
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 414 PM MDT TUE JUL 16 2013 IDZ006-162300- SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS- 314 PM PDT TUE JUL 16 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SOUTHERN IDAHO COUNTY UNTIL 400 PM PDT... AT 313 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 10 MILES SOUTHWEST OF MACKAY BAR NEAR SALMON RIVER...OR 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF MCCALL...MOVING NORTH AT 30 MPH. WIND GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM...ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...MACKAY BAR NEAR SALMON RIVER...INDIAN CREEK NEAR SALMON RIVER...SHEPP RANCH NEAR SALMON RIVER...CHINA BAR...CROOKED CREEK NEAR DIXIE IN MCGUIRE BURN...MACKAY BAR AND DIXIE. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... 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 4572 11573 4557 11515 4519 11546 4519 11573 TIME...MOT...LOC 2214Z 184DEG 26KT 4527 11559
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 630 PM MDT TUE JUL 16 2013 IDZ006-170115- SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS- 530 PM PDT TUE JUL 16 2013 ...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTHERN IDAHO COUNTY UNTIL 615 PM PDT... AT 524 PM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A STRONG THUNDERSTORM 17 MILES NORTHEAST OF LOWELL...OR 35 MILES EAST OF KAMIAH...MOVING NORTH AT 20 MPH. HAIL UP TO ONE-HALF INCH IN DIAMETER IS EXPECTED WITH THIS STORM... ALONG WITH HEAVY RAIN AND FREQUENT DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. LOCATIONS NEAR THE PATH OF THIS STORM INCLUDE...HIGHWAY 12 NEAR THE WILDERNESS GATEWAY CAMPGROUND. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... IF THREATENING WEATHER APPROACHES YOUR AREA...GO INDOORS AND STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS. IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...MOVE TO A WELL PROTECTED AREA. && LAT...LON 4652 11536 4657 11499 4620 11521 4625 11546 TIME...MOT...LOC 0029Z 198DEG 19KT 4632 11529
The Missoula radar (KMSX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:32 UTC.
1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A thunderstorm in its decaying stage unleashed strong gusty winds that blew over a 24 inch diameter tree onto a camper at the Wilderness Gateway Campground on the Lochsa River.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, July 2013
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: 471652.