Montana, 2020

Damaging Winds in Montana, August 12, 2020

August 12, 2020 · NWS BYZ · 3 events in 2 counties and zones

A couple of isolated thunderstorms produced a few severe wind gusts across Park and Yellowstone Counties.

Where it happened

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  • 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.

A couple of isolated thunderstorms produced a few severe wind gusts across Park and Yellowstone 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 12, 2:30 PM MST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Aug 12, 2:30 PM MST, 17 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
330 PM MDT Wed Aug 12 2020

.DISCUSSION...

Tonight through Friday Night...

Although morning clouds kept temperatures down somewhat to start
the day, afternoon sun, strong ridging and pre-frontal warming
have allowed readings to climb into the 90s across the forecast
area. In addition, humidities have dropped into the lower to
middle teens with winds in the 15 to 25 mph range for most areas
with some higher gusts along the Beartooth/Absaroka Foothills.

Tonight...A cold front will move across the forecast area mid to
late evening allowing for a wind shift to the north. An isolated
thunderstorm remains possible this afternoon and evening ahead of
and along the front. All the above has resulted in critical fire
weather conditions. As a result, a Red Flag Warning continues
across the area until midnight.

Thursday & Friday...An upper trough will move across the forecast
area Thursday with jet stream dynamics overhead. The flow will
turn easterly during the afternoon which will increase low level
moisture. This will result in better chances for scattered showers
and thunderstorms for most locations, which will linger across
our eastern areas toward the Dakota borders Thursday evening.
Highs Thursday will be about 10 to 15 degrees cooler than today. A
dry, northwest flow aloft will prevail on Friday. Temperatures
will be seasonal Friday with middle 80s for most locations. Hooley

Saturday through Wednesday...

Strong ridging will build into the area Saturday that will
dominate the area into the middle of next week. Due to this,
conditions will remain hot and dry through the extended forecast.
There is weak energy that will pass over the area on Tuesday that
could bring some weak shower activity over the mountains and
higher terrains.

High temperatures will remain in the upper 80s to low 90s through
Sunday before warming into the mid 90s Monday through Wednesday.

Carrothers

&&

.AVIATION...

Winds up to 35 kts at KLVM and up to 30 kts across other terminals
will continue until around 6 PM before decreasing overnight.There
is a chance of showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and
evening that could bring MVFR conditions. Otherwise, VFR
conditions will prevail. Carrothers

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...

    Thu     Fri     Sat     Sun     Mon     Tue     Wed
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 059/083 055/085 054/087 056/090 058/094 064/094 063/092
    32/T    30/U    00/U    00/U    00/B    12/W    22/W
LVM 050/083 047/085 047/089 049/092 052/095 057/093 055/091
    22/T    20/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    22/T    22/T
HDN 057/086 054/085 053/088 054/091 057/095 062/095 062/093
    32/T    40/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    11/B    21/U
MLS 063/085 058/083 054/086 056/087 058/091 062/093 063/091
    21/B    61/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    11/B    11/B
4BQ 062/088 058/084 056/087 056/088 058/092 062/092 063/092
    21/U    41/U    00/U    00/U    00/U    11/B    11/B
BHK 059/086 055/082 052/085 052/084 053/087 057/090 060/091
    21/B    82/T    10/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    11/B
SHR 055/089 052/085 052/088 053/090 055/092 058/093 058/091
    21/U    20/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    12/T    32/T

&&

.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Red Flag Warning in effect until 9 PM MDT this evening FOR
      ZONE 117.
     Red Flag Warning in effect until midnight MDT tonight FOR
      ZONES 123>132.
WY...Red Flag Warning in effect until midnight MDT tonight FOR
      ZONES 274-284.

&&

weather.gov/billings

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:47 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Park

When
August 12, 2:47 PM MST
Where
Park County, Livingstn Mission Fl
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
45.700, -110.450

A wind gust of 69 mph was recorded at the Livingston Airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Park

When
August 12, 3:39 PM MST
Where
Park County, Livingstn Mission Fl
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
45.700, -110.450

A wind gust of 58 mph was recorded at the Livingston Airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When
August 12, 4:55 PM MST
Where
Yellowstone County, 6.03 mi SSW of Acton
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.850, -108.730

A wind gust of 59 mph was reported 10 miles east of Molt.

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, August 2020

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: 906256, 906257, 906258.