Montana, 2019

Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 13, 2019

July 13, 2019 · NWS MSO · 7 events in 3 counties and zones

Strong wind shear and modest instability allowed for severe thunderstorms to impact western Montana during the afternoon of July 13th.

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
7

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 MSO wrote it up.

Strong wind shear and modest instability allowed for severe thunderstorms to impact western Montana during the afternoon of July 13th.

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 123 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:40 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Powell

When
July 13, 2:40 PM MST to 2:50 PM MST
Where
Powell County, 5 mi S of Blossburg
Measured
56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.558, -112.320

A line of decaying thunderstorms produced a 65 mph wind gust at MacDonald Pass.

Hail, Missoula

When
July 13, 2:40 PM MST to 2:50 PM MST
Where
Missoula County, 3.5 mi NE of Bonner
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.906, -113.828

A thunderstorm produced nickel to quarter-sized hail in the town of Bonner during the afternoon of the 13th.

Thunderstorm Wind, Powell

When
July 13, 3:00 PM MST to 3:10 PM MST
Where
Powell County, 4 mi NNW of Racetrack
Measured
58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
46.324, -112.782

A line of thunderstorms produced 40 to 55 mph winds in Deerlodge with minor tree damage reported. Further south, a 67 mph wind gust was recorded north of Racetrack.

Hail, Missoula

When
July 13, 3:20 PM MST to 3:30 PM MST
Where
Missoula County, 2.17 mi W of Seeley Lake Arpt
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
47.180, -113.496

Penny to half-dollar-sized hail was reported in the town Seeley Lake. Half-dollar-sized hail was reported by a boater on Seeley Lake.

Hail, Granite

When
July 13, 7:55 PM MST to 8:05 PM MST
Where
Granite County, 20.03 mi SW of Ravenna
Measured
2 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.480, -113.775

A severe thunderstorm dropped hail up to two inches in diameter on a small rural community in the Rock Creek drainage.

Hail, Granite

When
July 13, 8:15 PM MST to 8:20 PM MST
Where
Granite County, 9.63 mi WSW of Ravenna
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
46.615, -113.649

Quarter-size hail was reported in the rural community of Quigley, Montana.

Hail, Powell

When
July 13, 9:30 PM MST to 9:40 PM MST
Where
Powell County, Ovando
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
47.020, -113.130

A thunderstorm produced half-dollar-sized hail in Ovando, with a truck sustaining hail dents on the roof of the vehicle.

What these are

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.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 2019

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 832895, 832897, 832896, 832898, 832899, 832901, 832903.