A large, slow-moving low pressure system from the west provided just enough instability and general convection to allow this one brief weak landspout to form in an open field in Sheridan County.
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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 GGW wrote it up.
A large, slow-moving low pressure system from the west provided just enough instability and general convection to allow this one brief weak landspout to form in an open field in Sheridan County.
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 May 9, 1:58 PM MST, 4 hours 27 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 258 PM MDT MON MAY 9 2016 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY... SYNOPTIC SETUP... A NARROW RIDGE RUNS FROM WYOMING THROUGH SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND SOUTHERN MANITOBA. A LARGE TROUGH EXISTS OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, BRITISH COLUMBIA, AND ALBERTA. THIS TROUGH WILL ACT WITH A SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTH DAKOTA WHICH IS RETROGRADING TO PINCH OFF THE NARROW MESO-RIDGE ACROSS FAR EASTERN MONTANA. RADAR TRENDS AS OF 1PM SHOW A STATIONARY FRONT HOLDING STEADY OVER PHILLIPS COUNTY. THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING... WHERE THE NARROW RIDGE IS BEING PINCHED DOWN COOL AIR ALOFT AND SUNLIGHT AT THE SURFACE WILL ACT TO DESTABILIZE THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE SMALLEST HINTS OF SHOWERS ARE STARTING TO FORM ALREADY OVER MCCONE COUNTY ON RADAR AND SHOULD INCREASE IN SIZE AND SPREAD RAPIDLY THROUGH THE REST OF THE CWA THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... THE BASE OF THE TROUGH AND THE LOW TO THE SOUTHEAST WILL SLAM TOGETHER AROUND MIDNIGHT CREATING A LARGER SURFACE LOW AND BROAD LIFT ZONES ACROSS THE AREA. AS THE LOW SWINGS EAST A TROWAL WILL FORM ON THE BACKSIDE AND FOCUS DIRECTLY OVER THE CWA. BETWEEN ONE TO TWO AND HALF INCHES OF QPF WILL BE POSSIBLE FOR THE AREA AS THE STORM AND ITS TROWAL STALLS AND DOESN'T MOVE UNTIL WEDNESDAY. SNOW?... THE NEW WORD IS THAT AS TEMPERATURES DROP OFF THIS EVENING HIGHER ELEVATIONS IN THE LITTLE ROCKIES COULD BEGIN TO SEE A HEAVY WET SNOW FORMING ABOUT 3500 FEET. 1 TO 2 INCHES OF ANTICIPATED LIQUID TIMES 1:8 TO 1:12 SNOW RATIOS GENERATES 10 TO 15 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE AREAS WHICH SEEMS TO MESH UP WELL WITH THE WPC WINTER WEATHER PRODUCTS. TIMING ON THIS WILL START AT MIDNIGHT AND HOLD THROUGH THE DAY TUESDAY AND TUESDAY NIGHT. MOT OTHER LOCATION SHOULD BE TOTALLY RAIN FOR THE EVENT. GAH .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... UPDATE...THE 12Z MODELS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN THE FORECAST PATTERN. MADE MINOR TWEAKS FOR FORECAST TO LINE UP WITH SURROUNDING OFFICES CHANGES. FORRESTER PREVIOUS LONG TERM... UPPER LOW MOVING THROUGH THE REGION EARLY IN THE WEEK EXPECTED TO PUSH INTO THE WESTERN GREAT LAKES BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. A FEW SHOWER MAY LINGER ALONG THE NORTH DAKOTA BORDER DURING THE EVENING BUT SHOULD CLEAR AS COOLER AND DRIER AIR IS PULLED SOUTH BY THE DEPARTING SYSTEM. UPPER RIDGE BEGINS BUILDING INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES FOR THE END OF THE WEEK. PROGRESS WILL BE STALLED BRIEFLY BY A SHORTWAVE ZIPPING ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER ON THURSDAY AND DROPPING A COLD FRONT THROUGH MONTANA. SOME SHOWERS POSSIBLE WITH THE FRONT THURSDAY INTO THURSDAY NIGHT. NORTHWEST FLOW EXPECTED FOR THE THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD WITH RIDGE TO THE WEST AND DEEP LOW DEVELOPING OVER ONTARIO. HIGH PRESSURE EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS FOR DRY CONDITIONS AND A LITTLE BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES. EBERT && .AVIATION... INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH WILL REMAIN OVER EASTERN MONTANA TONIGHT AND A SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP NEAR KGDV TUESDAY MORNING. WIDESPREAD RAIN WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AND CONTINUE INTO TUESDAY NIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON WILL DETERIORATE TO MFVR THIS EVENING AND IFR OVERNIGHT AS CEILINGS LOWER. IFR CEILINGS WILL PREVAIL ON TUESDAY AS THE MAIN RAIN SHIELD WILL BE OVER EASTERN MONTANA. WITH THE SURFACE TROUGH/LOW NEAR KSDY AND KGDV TONIGHT AND TUESDAY...WINDS WILL BE LIGHT AND VARIABLE. KOLF WILL SEE MAINLY NORTHEAST WINDS 10 TO 15 KNOTS TONIGHT AND TUESDAY. KGGW WILL BE IN THE TIGHT SURFACE GRADIENT TO THE WEST WITH NORTH WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT TO 6 AM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. LAKE WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM MDT WEDNESDAY FOR FORT PECK LAKE FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...GARFIELD...MCCONE...PETROLEUM. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 252 PM MDT MON MAY 9 2016 MTZ016>027-059-061-062-101100- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY- EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 252 PM MDT MON MAY 9 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR FORT PECK LAKE IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 9 PM WEDNESDAY EVENING. EXPECT NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD. A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN TO NORTHEAST MONTANA TODAY...CONTINUING THROUGH WEDNESDAY. MANY AREAS WILL RECEIVE ONE TO TWO 1/2 INCHES OF RAIN FROM THIS SYSTEM. STRONG...GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR FORT PECK LAKE WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY BEFORE EXITING THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ060-101100- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 252 PM MDT MON MAY 9 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING EXISTS FROM MIDNIGHT TONIGHT THROUGH 6AM WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SNOW TOTALS BETWEEN 10 TO 15 INCHES POSSIBLE ABOVE ELEVATIONS OF 3500 FEET FOR THE LITTLE ROCKIES. A SLOW MOVING LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL BRING WIDESPREAD RAIN WITH RAIN SNOW MIXES TO HIGHER ELEVATIONS. MANY AREAS WILL RECEIVE ONE TO TWO 1/2 INCHES OF LIQUID PRECIPITATION FROM THIS SYSTEM. IN A ADDITION STRONG...GUSTY NORTH TO NORTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE STRONG STORM SYSTEM WILL LIKELY CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY BEFORE EXITING THE REGION BY WEDNESDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 159 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 01:27 UTC.
1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.
Public reported a tornado moving across Highway 16 in Sheridan County. Subsequent photos and video suggest it was a weak landspout amid convective showers in the area near a front. Landspout occurred in an open field and pulled up some dirt, lasting for about 3 minutes.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Montana, 2016Warnings in Montana, May 2016
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: 628082.