Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 15, 2022

Name: Hail and Damaging Winds in Montana, July 15, 2022
Start: 2022-07-15T12:02
End: 2022-07-15T17:59
Location: Montana

July 15, 2022 · NWS BYZ · 21 events in 6 counties and zones

A north/south line of thunderstorms that stretched across multiple counties produced outflow winds well ahead of the thunderstorms. This outflow was very strong and produced winds over 60 mph.

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: 1
Injuries: 14
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 21

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 north/south line of thunderstorms that stretched across multiple counties produced outflow winds well ahead of the thunderstorms. This outflow was very strong and produced winds over 60 mph. These winds produced an area of blowing dust across Interstate 90 just west of Hardin. Visibility dropped to zero resulting in a multiple car pileup which resulted in several deaths and multiple injuries.

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 15, 1:55 AM MST, 10 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 15, 1:55 AM MST, 10 hours 7 minutes before

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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jul 15, 11:52 AM MST, 10 minutes before

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The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 132 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:03 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Wheatland

When: July 15, 12:02 PM MST
Where: Wheatland County, 3.17 mi WSW of Twodot
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.400, -110.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Wheatland

When: July 15, 12:06 PM MST
Where: Wheatland County, 3.17 mi WSW of Twodot
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.400, -110.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:15 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 6.03 mi SSW of Acton
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.850, -108.730

Hail, Stillwater

When: July 15, 2:19 PM MST
Where: Stillwater County, 1.69 mi SE of Nye
Measured: 1 in hail
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.430, -109.800

Hail, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:20 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 0.69 mi S of Laurel
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.670, -108.770

Hail, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:20 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 2.29 mi NNW of Laurel Muni Arpt
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.730, -108.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:23 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 1.46 mi NNE of Billings Hgts
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 45.840, -108.510

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:25 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 1.19 mi NW of Billings Logan Arpt
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 45.810, -108.550

Thunderstorm Wind, Yellowstone

When: July 15, 2:40 PM MST
Where: Yellowstone County, 2.29 mi SSW of Billings
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.770, -108.500

A 1.5 foot diameter tree was downed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When: July 15, 3:05 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 4.86 mi N of Hardin
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.800, -107.610

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When: July 15, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 3.65 mi WNW of Hardin
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 6 direct, 8 indirect
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 45.750, -107.670

Around 4:15 PM MDT, a thunderstorm outflow moved through the Hardin area. It produced a wind gust of 62 mph in the 4:35 PM MDT observations from the Big Horn County Airport. Along with the outflow winds, blowing dust reduced visibility to less than a quarter mile on the AWOS. This resulted in a 20 to 30 vehicle pile up along Interstate 90 around mile marker 493 reported at 4:30 PM MDT, very close to the airport. Prior to this, the Montana DOT RWIS station at Arrow Creek Hill, 25 miles west of Hardin, reported a peak wind gust of 48 mph about 15 minutes prior. This accident resulted in 6 deaths and multiple injuries.

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When: July 15, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 9.67 mi N of Hardin
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.870, -107.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 3:30 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 15.87 mi SW of Angela
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.570, -106.440

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When: July 15, 3:50 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 5.56 mi ESE of Hardin Airpark
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 45.680, -107.500

A mobile home lost its roof.

Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn

When: July 15, 3:55 PM MST
Where: Big Horn County, 2.97 mi WNW of Hardin
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 45.740, -107.660

Visibility was under a quarter mile due to blowing dust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 3:57 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 1.42 mi W of Ingomar
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.580, -107.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 4:04 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 1.42 mi W of Ingomar
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.580, -107.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 4:19 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 1.42 mi W of Ingomar
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.580, -107.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Carbon

When: July 15, 4:29 PM MST
Where: Carbon County, 0.49 mi E of Hillsboro
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.100, -108.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 5:39 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 1.17 mi NW of Rock Spgs
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.830, -106.270

Thunderstorm Wind, Rosebud

When: July 15, 5:59 PM MST
Where: Rosebud County, 2.52 mi NW of Forsyth
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 46.300, -106.700

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Thunderstorm Wind, Big Horn	2022-07-15			Vehicle/Towed Trailer	Direct

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

Every storm in Montana in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, July 2022

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1038036, 1038038, 1038037, 1038029, 1038030, 1038031, 1038039, 1038040, 1038032, 1038041, 1038034, 1038042, 1038045, 1038035, 1038043, 1038046, 1038047, 1038048, 1038049, 1038050, 1038051.