Collapsing showers and thunderstorms resulted in strong outflow gusts well away from where they decayed the night of the 24th into the 25th. Then during the afternoon of the 25th, additional showers and thunderstorms developed and resulted in strong wind gusts across the eastern plains.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.
Collapsing showers and thunderstorms resulted in strong outflow gusts well away from where they decayed the night of the 24th into the 25th. Then during the afternoon of the 25th, additional showers and thunderstorms developed and resulted in strong wind gusts across the eastern plains.
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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 24, 7:48 PM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.
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</html>Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
611 PM MDT Wed Jul 24 2024
MTZ305-306-311-250100-
Hill County MT-Northern Blaine County MT-
Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine MT-
611 PM MDT Wed Jul 24 2024
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN BLAINE AND
NORTHEASTERN HILL COUNTIES THROUGH 700 PM MDT...
At 611 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 25 miles north of Beaver Creek to near Fort
Belknap to near Zortman. Movement was northeast at 30 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Harlem, Fort Belknap, Turner, Lodge Pole, Hogeland, and Zurich.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4875 10826 4874 10832 4844 10835 4844 10842
4798 10843 4797 10844 4799 10860 4795 10864
4847 10874 4890 11011 4900 10993 4900 10824
TIME...MOT...LOC 0011Z 237DEG 24KT 4890 10997 4849 10870 4785 10858
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
SCSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
624 PM MDT Wed Jul 24 2024
MTZ307-308-312-315>317-319>321-323-250115-
Helena Valley MT-Little Belt and Highwood Mountains MT-
Southern Rocky Mountain Front MT-Cascade County below 5000ft MT-
Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains MT-Meagher County Valleys MT-
Southern High Plains MT-Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass MT-
Canyon Ferry Area MT-Gates of the Mountains MT-
624 PM MDT Wed Jul 24 2024
...STRONG THUNDERSTORMS WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN LEWIS AND CLARK...
NORTH CENTRAL BROADWATER...NORTHWESTERN MEAGHER...WEST CENTRAL JUDITH
BASIN AND SOUTHERN CASCADE COUNTIES THROUGH 715 PM MDT...
At 624 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 14 miles west of Wolf Creek to 8 miles
northwest of Helena to 29 miles northwest of White Sulphur Springs.
Movement was east at 25 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Cascade, Wolf Creek, Tower Rock State Park, Black Sandy State Park,
York, and Craig.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4736 11181 4711 11139 4701 11053 4662 11171
4669 11214 4713 11245
TIME...MOT...LOC 0024Z 250DEG 24KT 4708 11236 4671 11210 4683 11138
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
SCPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1109 PM MDT Wed Jul 24 2024
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1056 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 7 E Marysville 46.73N 112.16W
07/24/2024 M49 MPH Lewis and Clark MT Trained Spotter
&&
JTGThe Great Falls radar (KTFX), 90 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:41 UTC.
5 high wind, 2 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
AWOS station K1HM Hotel measured a 60 mph gust.
ASOS station KCTB Cut Bank Airport measured a gust of 66 mph and 76 mph within a few minutes of each other.
AWOS station KSBX Shelby Airport measured a 59 mph gust.
Mesonet station GW3546 Whitlash 7 south measured a 67 mph gust.
Mesonet station MTWST Sweet Grass (MT DOT) measured a 58 mph gust.
RAWS station LBCM8 Little Bullwhacker Creek RAWS. Time was estimated using radar given the sensor reports one peak gust per hour.
Trained spotter reports a few 1 inch hail stone mixed in with primarily one-half to three-quarters of an inch hail stones.
AWOS station K1NM November, 5 miles northeast of Forestgrove.
Public report of 1 inch hail from MPing.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 2024
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: 1190682, 1190678, 1190683, 1190680, 1190684, 1190676, 1190685, 1190675, 1190686.