Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, August 7, 2013

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, August 7, 2013
Start: 2013-08-07T06:05
End: 2013-08-07T18:55
Location: Montana

August 7, 2013 · NWS BYZ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

An isolated severe thunderstorm producing strong wind gusts and large hail moved across Rosebud and Powder River Counties.

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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 3

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.

An isolated severe thunderstorm producing strong wind gusts and large hail moved across Rosebud and Powder River Counties.

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 Aug 7, 4:30 AM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 7, 4:30 AM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
530 AM MDT WED AUG 7 2013

.UPDATE...
QUICK UPDATE TO ADD FOG TO SOUTHEAST MONTANA THIS MORNING. AREA
OF LOW STRATUS AND FOG HAS MOVED IN FROM NORTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA.
THE FOG WAS LOCATED AT BAKER AND WILL CONTINUE A SOUTHWEST TRACK
TOWARD MILES CITY AND EKALAKA THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS. THE
FOG IS EXPECTED TO BREAK UP BY MID MORNING. ZONES ALREADY SENT.
RICHMOND

&&

.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR TDY AND THU...

IT WILL BE A FAIRLY BENIGN WEATHER DAY AS A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW OF
AIR WILL BE OVER THE FORECAST AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A FEW
DEGREES COOLER THAN YESTERDAY AS SURFACE WINDS WILL BE OUT OF THE
EAST. MODELS DOING WELL WITH SPEED AND PLACEMENT OF A STRONG SHORT
WAVE OVER ALBERTA THIS MORNING. THIS WAVE IS FORECAST TO MOVE INTO
NORTH CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST MONTANA TODAY AND WILL CLIP OUR FAR
EASTERN ZONES THIS EVENING. THE UPPER WAVE WILL ALSO PUSH A COLD
FRONT ACROSS THE AREA THIS EVENING. THE WAVE AND COLD FRONT WILL
GENERATE A FEW THUNDERSTORMS WHICH WILL GENERALLY BE LOCATED ALONG
AND EAST OF A LINE FROM MILES CITY TO EKALAKA. DO NOT EXPECT ANY
SEVERE WEATHER TONIGHT AS SOUNDINGS INDICATE VERY LITTLE CAPE FOR
STORMS TO WORK WITH. A FEW STORMS MAY PRODUCE GUSTY WINDS WITH
INVERTED-V TYPE SOUNDINGS IN THE EAST.

UPPER RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BUILD OVER OUR WESTERN ZONES ON
THURSDAY. MODELS ARE BRINING IN MONSOONAL MOISTURE UNDER THE RIDGE
ALONG WITH WEAK SHORT WAVE ENERGY EJECTING OUT AHEAD OF A TROUGH
OF LOW PRESSURE OVER THE WEST COAST. WEAK JET DYNAMICS WILL BE
OVER OUR AREA AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE POSSIBLE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON AND NIGHT. THESE STORMS WILL MAINLY BE LOCATED WEST OF A
LINE FROM HARLOWTON TO BILLINGS WITH THE BEST CHANCE OVER THE
SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. TEMPERATURES WILL BE A LITTLE COOLER ON
THURSDAY IN THE WAKE OF WEDNESDAY NIGHTS COLD FRONT. HIGHS ARE
GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE IN THE LOW TO MID 80S. RICHMOND

.LONG TERM...VALID FOR FRI...SAT...SUN...MON...TUE...

EXTENDED MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT AND CONTINUE TO BE CONSISTENT
FROM RUN TO RUN. INHERITED FORECAST CONTINUES TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE
SO HAVE NOT MADE ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WITH THIS ISSUANCE. LARGE
UPPER LOW THAT WILL BE OVER THE HUDSON BAY AREA TODAY AND THURSDAY
WILL BEGIN TO SHIFT EAST DURING THE DAY FRIDAY. FORECAST AREA WILL
STILL BE UNDER AN UNSTABLE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FRIDAY SO CAN'T
RULE OUT AN ISOLATED SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM. AS THE LOW MOVES EAST
FRIDAY...AN UPPER LOW WILL BE OVER NORTHERN CALIFORNIA ALLOWING
FOR RIDGING TO BUILD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA SATURDAY. THIS UPPER
LOW WILL SLOWLY MOVE NORTH ALONG THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST COAST
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY THEN ACTUALLY SHIFT NORTHWEST MONDAY ALLOWING
FOR THE RIDGE TO CONTINUE TO BUILD OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THE
LOW WILL DRAW UP SOME MONSOONAL MOISTURE FROM THE GREAT BASIN AREA
SATURDAY INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. SO EVEN THOUGH RIDGING WILL BE OVER
THE FORECAST AREA THERE WILL CONTINUE TO BE A SLIGHT CHANCE FOR A
THUNDERSTORM EACH DAY. AFTER BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY...READINGS WILL RETURN TO NORMAL OR SO BY SUNDAY INTO
EARLY NEXT WEEK. HOOLEY
&&

.AVIATION...

SKIES WILL BE MOSTLY SUNNY TODAY WITH VFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING.
AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM WILL BE POSSIBLE OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
OTHERWISE...NO AVIATION HAZARDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY. HOOLEY
&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...

    TDY THU     FRI     SAT     SUN     MON     TUE
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 086 057/080 057/081 058/084 059/085 058/087 059/088
    1/U 11/B    22/T    32/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
LVM 087 049/084 052/083 052/086 051/087 052/088 052/088
    1/U 12/T    23/T    32/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
HDN 087 057/082 057/083 057/087 058/088 058/089 059/090
    1/U 11/B    22/T    32/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
MLS 084 057/079 055/081 057/084 060/086 061/088 061/088
    1/B 21/B    12/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
4BQ 085 056/081 053/081 055/084 057/086 058/088 058/088
    1/B 21/B    22/T    32/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
BHK 079 053/075 050/078 054/079 056/081 057/083 057/086
    1/B 21/B    12/T    22/T    22/T    22/T    22/T
SHR 086 053/083 053/083 054/086 055/088 055/089 055/089
    1/B 22/T    23/T    33/T    22/T    22/T    22/T

&&

.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 181 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 13:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Rosebud

When: August 7, 6:05 AM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 8.32 mi SSW of Ashland
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 45.490, -106.340

Glass patio furniture was destroyed by the hail.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: August 7, 5:56 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 1.93 mi W of Ashland
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.600, -106.310

A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was estimated just west of Ashland.

Thunderstorm Wind, Powder River

When: August 7, 6:55 PM MST
Where: Powder River County, 10.89 mi NE of Moorhead
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 45.160, -105.740

A thunderstorm wind gust of 60 mph was estimated 9 miles northeast of Moorhead. The wind was accompanied by pea size hail and very heavy rain.

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 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, August 2013

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: 475052, 475050, 475051.