Montana, 2013

Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 28 to 29, 2013

July 28 to 29, 2013 · NWS TFX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A high pressure ridge over the region was pushed east by a steadily advancing upper-level trough extending from Central Alberta to northern California. Small pockets of instability and moisture associated with a transient shortwave combined with generally unstable conditions to produce scattered thunderstorms along the Continental Divide and Southwest MT before spreading into Central MT during…

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
4

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 TFX wrote it up.

A high pressure ridge over the region was pushed east by a steadily advancing upper-level trough extending from Central Alberta to northern California. Small pockets of instability and moisture associated with a transient shortwave combined with generally unstable conditions to produce scattered thunderstorms along the Continental Divide and Southwest MT before spreading into Central MT during the evening.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 28, 7:53 PM MST, 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 7:53 PM MST, 7 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 28, 3:47 AM MST, 16 hours 13 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
447 AM MDT SUN JUL 28 2013

MTZ008>015-044>055-291100-
BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-
CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-
TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-
SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-
JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
447 AM MDT SUN JUL 28 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP IN SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND
ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND SPREAD INTO
CENTRAL MONTANA THIS EVENING. WIND GUSTS AROUND 40 TO 45 MPH AND
SMALL HAIL WILL BE POSSIBLE WITH SOME OF THE STRONGER STORMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A SIGNIFICANT SHIFT TO COOLER AND WETTER CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED
FOR THE LATTER HALF OF THIS WEEK AS A PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM
BRINGS IN WIDESPREAD MOISTURE...RESULTING IN SEVERAL PERIODS OF
SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS FROM WEDNESDAY EVENING THROUGH FRIDAY
NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 28, 2:31 PM MST, 5 hours 29 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 28, 2:48 PM MST, 5 hours 12 minutes before
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Local storm report, Jul 28, 2:56 PM MST, 5 hours 4 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 28, 3:30 PM MST, 4 hours 30 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 28, 4:18 PM MST, 3 hours 42 minutes before
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Special weather statement, Jul 28, 6:03 PM MST, 1 hour 57 minutes before
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The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 192 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:59 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Glacier

When
July 28, 8:00 PM MST
Where
Glacier County, 26 mi NW of Santa Rita
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
48.966, -112.654

Hail measuring 1.00 inches (quarter sized) was reported 26 mi NW of Santa Rita, MT. Mix of quarter and pea sized hail accumulated to approximately a foot deep around buildings during storm.

Thunderstorm Wind, Hill

When
July 28, 9:43 PM MST
Where
Hill County, 1 mi SSW of Rudyard
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.557, -110.558

High winds measured at 51KT (59MPH) were reported 1 mi SSW of Rudyard, MT.

Thunderstorm Wind, Toole

When
July 28, 10:09 PM MST
Where
Toole County, Galata
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.470, -111.350

High winds measured at 54KT (62MPH) were reported in Galata, MT.

Thunderstorm Wind, Liberty

When
July 29, 5:14 PM MST
Where
Liberty County, 13 mi N of Chester
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.708, -110.950

High winds measured at 51KT (59MPH) were reported 13 mi N of Chester, MT.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 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: 470565, 470563, 470564, 470566.