Montana, 2021

Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, May 28, 2021

May 28, 2021 · NWS BYZ · 12 events in 5 counties and zones

A few isolated severe thunderstorms produced some large hail, but mainly sub-severe, along with some strong wind gusts.

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
12

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 few isolated severe thunderstorms produced some large hail, but mainly sub-severe, along with some strong wind gusts.

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 May 28, 1:57 PM MST, 1 hour 8 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 28, 1:57 PM MST, 1 hour 8 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
257 PM MDT Fri May 28 2021

.DISCUSSION...

Tonight through Saturday night...

The front has already moved through Livingston to Big Timber.
Convection has started to develop. Still expecting more
development farther to the east. Most of the area is still showing
fairly low CAPE, with values less then 500 J/kg. Conditions are a
little better in southeast Montana where values are 500 to 1000.
Shear is pretty good, this setup is going to be fairly CAPE
limited. CAMs are showing a few isolated stronger updrafts, but
the consensus is low on the time and location of these stronger
storms. It does not look like the convection will be getting
organized. The dew point spreads are pretty high, so the main
threat looks like strong wind gusts. This activity will move
through the area through the evening with most of it out before
midnight.

Saturday looks quiet as heights will be rising. There could be an
isolated shower along the Bighorns, otherwise the rest of the area
will be dry. Reimer

Sunday through Thursday...

An upper ridge will dominate most of the extended forecast
period. This ridge will bring mainly dry and warm weather to the
Northern Rockies, with temperatures rising a bit more each day.

There is a slight chance of showers or thunderstorms over the
east on Tuesday as a weak disturbance moves over that area. The
next chance of showers and thunderstorms, this time for all of
southern MT and north central WY, is Thursday afternoon into the
night when the upper ridge becomes more suppressed as an upper air
disturbance tracks east/northeastward from the Pacific Northwest
to northern MT and Saskatchewan. Moisture aloft will also increase
on Thursday, which would further support a few showers and
thunderstorms over the region.

High temperatures will rise from the lower 70s Sunday to the 80s
Tuesday and Wednesday, to lower 90s Thursday. The hot temperatures
on Thursday will be caused by low level southwesterly flow
downsloping the terrain and producing compressional warming before
a cold frontal passage Thursday night. RMS/TWH

&&

.AVIATION...

A cold front will continue to transit the area this afternoon and
evening producing thunderstorms. Brief winds to 40kts are possible
along the front south and east of Billings. A few of the stronger
storms will produce small hail and erratic wind gusts. Reimer

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...

    Sat     Sun     Mon     Tue     Wed     Thu     Fri
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 042/066 043/071 046/079 054/083 056/085 059/092 060/086
    40/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    00/U    01/U    22/T
LVM 036/066 038/071 041/078 049/081 052/085 056/088 054/082
    10/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    00/U    02/T    22/T
HDN 044/067 040/072 044/080 050/083 054/085 055/092 058/087
    71/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    00/U    01/U    22/T
MLS 043/066 042/071 044/078 051/083 054/084 057/092 060/086
    70/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    00/U    01/U    21/U
4BQ 046/064 042/069 044/076 052/079 052/082 056/090 060/085
    60/U    00/U    00/U    01/B    00/B    01/U    11/U
BHK 042/066 041/069 041/075 049/079 051/080 053/087 057/085
    80/U    00/U    00/U    02/W    00/U    00/U    11/U
SHR 044/063 040/069 041/075 047/079 051/082 053/088 056/084
    42/T    02/T    01/U    01/B    00/U    01/U    22/T

&&

.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
WY...None.

&&

weather.gov/billings

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 28, 2:59 PM MST, 6 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Billings MT
359 PM MDT Fri May 28 2021

MTZ170-282230-
Northern Carbon MT-
359 PM MDT Fri May 28 2021

...SIGNIFICANT WEATHER ADVISORY...

At 358 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Joliet, or 18 miles southeast of Columbus, moving east at 30 mph.

Half inch hail and wind gusts in excess of 40 mph are possible with
this storm, along with brief heavy rain and occasional lightning.

Locations impacted include...
Joliet, Fromberg, Edgar, Rockvale and Silesia.

LAT...LON 4540 10902 4558 10901 4559 10880 4555 10880
      4555 10877 4552 10876 4552 10870 4547 10870
      4546 10865 4543 10868 4540 10868 4537 10870
TIME...MOT...LOC 2158Z 272DEG 29KT 4550 10891

Lester

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 36 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:02 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Hail, Yellowstone

When
May 28, 3:05 PM MST
Where
Yellowstone County, 0.48 mi W of Ballantine
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.950, -108.160

Hail, Carbon

When
May 28, 3:08 PM MST
Where
Carbon County, 0.97 mi E of Edgar
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.470, -108.850

Hail, Carbon

When
May 28, 3:10 PM MST
Where
Carbon County, 1.19 mi SE of Edgar
Measured
1.5 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.460, -108.850

Hail, Big Horn

When
May 28, 4:23 PM MST
Where
Big Horn County, 0.84 mi NE of Ft Smith
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
45.310, -107.920

Tree leaves were shredded. Car dents and broken car windows also occurred.

Hail, Big Horn

When
May 28, 4:25 PM MST
Where
Big Horn County, 0.69 mi N of Ft Smith
Measured
1.25 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.310, -107.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When
May 28, 5:13 PM MST
Where
Big Horn County, 8.77 mi E of Lodge Grass
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
45.310, -107.170

Hail, Rosebud

When
May 28, 5:15 PM MST
Where
Rosebud County, 1.38 mi N of Lame Deer
Measured
0.88 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
45.620, -106.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When
May 28, 5:18 PM MST
Where
Big Horn County, 8.77 mi E of Lodge Grass
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
45.310, -107.170

Hail, Powder River

When
May 28, 6:34 PM MST
Where
Powder River County, 2.93 mi SSE of Epsie
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
45.440, -105.630

Hail, Powder River

When
May 28, 6:48 PM MST
Where
Powder River County, 1.61 mi WNW of Broadus
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.460, -105.450

Hail, Powder River

When
May 28, 6:50 PM MST
Where
Powder River County, 0.84 mi SE of Broadus
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Storm Chaser
Coordinates
45.440, -105.410

Thunderstorm Wind, Powder River

When
May 28, 7:36 PM MST
Where
Powder River County, 6.39 mi SSW of Biddle
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
45.010, -105.380

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 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, May 2021

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: 953666, 953667, 953668, 953669, 953670, 953671, 953672, 953673, 953675, 953676, 953677, 953678.