Montana, 2025

Damaging Winds in Montana, July 9, 2025

July 9, 2025 · NWS GGW · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Thunderstorms moving through Montana's eastern side produced severe 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

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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 GGW wrote it up.

Thunderstorms moving through Montana's eastern side produced severe 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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 9, 2:16 PM MST, 5 hours 52 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 9, 2:16 PM MST, 5 hours 52 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
316 PM MDT Wed Jul 9 2025

.DISCUSSION...

KEY MESSAGES:

1) Hot July conditions will continue with high temperatures in
the 100s today (Wednesday). A Heat Advisory is in effect today,
highlighting the risk for heat related illnesses.

2) A Red Flag Warning is in effect for this afternoon and
evening.

3) Strong frontal system winds will generate winds of 20 to 30
mph Thursday afternoon. A Lake Wind Advisory is in effect.
WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW:

The ridge of high pressure will shift a bit more over the
northern High Plains this afternoon and then collapse eastward
tonight. Many locations have reached near or above 100 degrees.
Thankfully, with such a dry atmosphere, the heat index will
actually be lower than the actual temperature. But hot is still
hot, and the Heat Risk guidance suggests that major heat illness
impacts are possible across most northeast Montana locations for
those not taking necessary precautions.

Today, some isolated to scattered high based thunderstorms have
already developed over southern Montana and are moving toward the
northeast. Some model data suggests that these storms could form
strong downdraft wind gusts which would move into northeast
Montana later this afternoon and evening. Models also continue to
show very little, if any, rain resulting from them, which raises
concerns for dry lightning. See fire weather discussion below.

Relief, in the form of cooler air is expected Thursday and Friday.
But the gradual frontal passage could also lead to some widespread
gusty winds.

Heat will return under another dome of high pressure on Saturday
and Sunday.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS:

There is high confidence of temperatures reaching near or above
100 for many locations today.

Dry thunderstorms with gusty to near severe wind gusts late
this afternoon and early evening is average confidence.

Deviations included high-res model wind data to capture expected
downdraft wind gusts.

&&

.AVIATION...

LAST UPDATED: 2115Z

FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR.

DISCUSSION: Isolated to scattered thunderstorms may sneak into the
region later this afternoon and evening, but the hot high pressure
may suppress some of that development.

WINDS: Winds from the W or NW today around 15 mph with a few
stronger gusts. Gusty erratic winds could happen near any thunderstorms
this afternoon and evening. Winds will then become light and
variable overnight tonight.

&&

.FIRE WEATHER...

Isolated to scattered showers/thunderstorms are expected this
afternoon and evening, ahead of a frontal passage later tonight.
Lightning over dry fuels could lead to some new starts and
downdraft gusts from collapsing cells could be borderline severe,
fanning new flames. Even with the green-up having occurred, fuels
are quickly drying and are even lacking in overall green-ness for
much of the area.

&&

.GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Heat Advisory until 9 PM MDT this evening for Central and
Southeast Phillips-Central and Southern Valley-Daniels-Dawson-
Eastern Roosevelt-Garfield-McCone-Northern Phillips-Northern
Valley-Petroleum-Prairie-Richland-Sheridan-Southwest Phillips-
Western Roosevelt-Wibaux.

Red Flag Warning until 4 AM MDT Thursday for
Dawson/McCone/Prairie/Richland/Wibaux Counties-Northern Valley
and Northern Phillips Counties-Southern Petroleum and Southern
Garfield Counties-The Little Rockies-The Lower Missouri River
Breaks including the Charles M Russell National Wildlife Refuge.

Lake Wind Advisory from 10 AM to 9 PM MDT Thursday for Central
and Southeast Phillips-Central and Southern Valley-Garfield-
McCone-Petroleum.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

The radar

The Glasgow radar (KGGW), 144 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 03:09 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Prairie

When
July 9, 8:08 PM MST
Where
Prairie County, 14.08 mi NW of Mc Cloud
Measured
60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by
RAWS
Coordinates
47.030, -105.810

A wind gust of 69 mph was measured at the Big Sheep Mountain RAWS site (LCFM8).

Thunderstorm Wind, Dawson

When
July 9, 8:15 PM MST
Where
Dawson County, 2.5 mi NW of Lindsay Divide Dot
Measured
59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
47.300, -105.300

A wind gust of 68 mph was measured at the Lindsay Divide MT-200 DOT site (MTLND).

Thunderstorm Wind, Richland

When
July 9, 9:45 PM MST
Where
Richland County, 1.67 mi SW of Savage
Measured
54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
47.430, -104.370

A wind gust of 62 mph was measured at the Savage MT-16 DOT site (MTSVG).

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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, July 2025

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: 1273394, 1273395, 1273396.