Montana, 2020

Hail in Montana, July 10, 2020

July 10, 2020 · NWS BYZ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

An isolated severe thunderstorm produced some quarter size and sub-severe hail across portions of southeast Montana.

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 produced some quarter size and sub-severe hail across portions of southeast Montana.

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 Jul 10, 10:14 AM MST, 2 hours 6 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 10, 10:14 AM MST, 2 hours 6 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jul 10, 2:43 AM MST, 9 hours 37 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 10, 11:31 AM MST, 49 minutes before
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The radar

The Rapid City radar (KUDX), 233 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:19 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Powder River

When
July 10, 12:20 PM MST
Where
Powder River County, 10.47 mi N of Biddle
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.250, -105.320

Hail, Fallon

When
July 10, 1:12 PM MST
Where
Fallon County, 0.69 mi N of Ollie
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
46.590, -104.080

Hail, Carter

When
July 10, 1:24 PM MST
Where
Carter County, 12.41 mi WNW of Alzada
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.110, -104.640

What these are

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 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 894288, 894287, 894286.