A cold front tracking eastward across Montana generated a line of severe thunderstorms across the eastern half of the state, from late afternoon through the early nighttime hours. This line eventually moved east into North Dakota.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 GGW wrote it up.
A cold front tracking eastward across Montana generated a line of severe thunderstorms across the eastern half of the state, from late afternoon through the early nighttime hours. This line eventually moved east into North Dakota.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 15, 1:09 PM MST, 1 hour 36 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 209 PM MDT Sat Jun 15 2024 .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGES: - Pattern change starts today as a cold front brings showers and thunderstorms with eastern zones seeing the greatest risk of a mixed severe hail/wind threat. - Cooler temperatures begin Sunday, with the coldest readings occurring on Monday and Tuesday. - More widespread rain moves in during Monday and Tuesday. - Warming trend later this week, but things remain unsettled with daily shower and thunderstorm chances. WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: Today the first Pacific Northwest Trough will begin to settle into the area driving a cold front ahead of it. This will not only be the beginning of a pattern change to below average and wetter conditions, but this front will be the focusing mechanism for another round of afternoon and evening thunderstorms. SPC has the eastern half of our CWA, roughly east of a line from Glentana to Winnett in a slight risk for severe weather with large hail and damaging winds the main threat. The supportive dynamics for any rotation within a supercell looks to increase eastward, with the primary focus of a tornadic concern in North Dakota. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out before crossing the North Dakota border late this afternoon/evening. Sunday will be cooler behind the front with a little break in the action overall before a stronger Pacific trough moves in Monday bringing widespread rain and even cooler temperatures at 10-20 degrees below mid June averages for both Monday and Tuesday. A warming trend begins Wednesday with temperatures warming close to late June averages by the end of the week. Still unsettled with afternoon showers and thunderstorms continuing to be a possibility. FORECAST CONFIDENCE and DEVIATIONS: ++ Discussion regarding this afternoon ++ This morning's shower/thunderstorm activity has stabilized the lower atmosphere across many places north of the Missouri River. Since those showers have passed, ample sunshine has return for most locations south of the Missouri. This will help recharge southern zones with the sufficient instability to support stronger updrafts, with sufficient shear to sustain upscale growth and organized convection. At 20Z, a special upper air launch will give us and the SPC a better idea of how the instability has evolved since the return of sunshine, and consequently, whether the threat for significant hail/severe winds remains as discussed from this morning and/or increased/decreased. ++++ There is a moderate to high (50-90%) probability for a wetting rain (0.10") across much of the region with today's system with the highest chances in the northeast corner of the state. Low to moderate probability (25-60%) of 0.25". QPF's have trended downward some, especially in the southeastern zones. For the Monday/Wednesday AM system, QPF amounts have trended downward but are higher than today's system, with a probability around 70-80% for at least 0.25", 40-60% for 0.50", and 10-35% for 1". Confidence is lower Wednesday onward on shower and thunderstorm chances and timing as models start diverging in that time period. -Bernhart/Enriquez && .AVIATION... LAST UPDATE: 2000Z FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR, Brief MVFR possible near storms. DISCUSSION: A round of showers and thunderstorms moves through the region this afternoon and into tonight. Main threat will be squally conditions in and near organized storms, including severe outflows and large hail. WIND: After the passage of storms, winds will be more northwesterly at 15-25 kts. Sunday morning, winds will be more westerly at 20-30 kts gusting up to 40 kts. -Bernhart/Enriquez && .GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Lake Wind Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 9 PM MDT Sunday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Central and Southern Valley- Garfield-McCone-Petroleum. && weather.gov/glasgow
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
317 PM MDT Sat Jun 15 2024
MTZ016-021-022-060-152215-
Petroleum MT-Garfield MT-Southwest Phillips MT-
Central and Southeast Phillips MT-
317 PM MDT Sat Jun 15 2024
...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southwestern
Phillips, northern Petroleum and west central Garfield Counties
through 415 PM MDT
...
At 316 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 29 miles west of Zortman to 19 miles southwest
of Hays to 17 miles east of Winifred to near Roy to 18 miles
northeast of Lewistown. Movement was east at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph and pea size hail.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects. Minor damage to outdoor objects is
possible.
Locations impacted include...
Zortman, Dodson, Fourchette, U L Bend Rec Area, Crooked Creek Rec
Area, Phillips, Wagner, Landusky, and Valentine.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4792 10889 4792 10863 4799 10861 4798 10844
4845 10841 4844 10840 4843 10835 4851 10834
4853 10798 4784 10784 4738 10788 4728 10813
4723 10872 4730 10859 4732 10831 4758 10831
4757 10833 4765 10877 4773 10889
TIME...MOT...LOC 2116Z 267DEG 37KT 4796 10915 4781 10897 4761 10900
4737 10901 4724 10913
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
EnriquezThe Glasgow radar (KGGW), 160 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 21:46 UTC.
15 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Hays MT-66 DOT site (MTHAY) measured a 69 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Jordan Airport AWOS site (KJDN) measured a 63 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
A CoCoRaHS observer with his Davis westher station equipment measured a 79 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Jordan E mesonet site (MTM88) recorded a thunderstorm wind gust of 67 mph.
Public estimated a 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Fort Peck Dam mesonet site (GGWFP) measured a 69 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Circle Town County Airport AWOS site (K4U6) measured a 61 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Cow Creek MT-13 DOT site (MTCOW) recorded a 61 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Public reported, via Facebook, a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust. They lost power for 3 hours and it blew trash cans off the property.
The GW0525 Bloomfield mesonet site (G0525) measured a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Public estimated a 75 mph thunderstorm wind gust. It was estimated from an ACURITE weather sensor.
The BLM Glendive mesonet site (MTM28) measured a 63 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Public reported a 60 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
Public reported near Savage a 58 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
The Medicine Lake RAWS site (MLKM8) measured a 63 mph thunderstorm wind gust.
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, June 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1176351, 1176360, 1176363, 1176371, 1176597, 1176599, 1176600, 1176603, 1176606, 1176609, 1176610, 1176611, 1176613, 1176651, 1176653.