Thunderstorms brought strong to severe wind gusts to the area during the evening of May 12th. The highest wind gust was 62 mph at the Poplar RAWS station in Roosevelt county.
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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.
Thunderstorms brought strong to severe wind gusts to the area during the evening of May 12th. The highest wind gust was 62 mph at the Poplar RAWS station in Roosevelt county.
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 May 12, 1:51 PM MST, 5 hours 9 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 251 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025 .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGES: - Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms are possible later this afternoon through this evening with a weak chance (2-10%) for a severe wind burst with any outflow downdraft. - Red Flag conditions are likely this afternoon, especially if a thunderstorm wind gust is involved. - Cold Front arrives overnight tonight with a slow-moving weather system, eventually bringing the best chance for accumulating rainfall to NE MT late Tuesday night through late Wednesday night. WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: Southwesterly flow aloft along a surface trough oriented from Jordan to Wolf Point to Plentywood has set up an environment favorable for the development gusty winds and isolated to scattered thunderstorms across most of NE MT this afternoon and evening. With an inverted "V" in the soundings there will be enough Downdraft CAPE to generate a severe burst of wind with dying cells. The surface trough will give way to a cold front overnight and exit the area early Tuesday. This will lead to gradually cooling temperatures and a very strong chance for significant rain late Tuesday night through late Wednesday night. Would not be surprised to see many locations receive between 0.25 inch and 0.50 inch of rainfall. Afterward, temperatures will remain cool through the weekend with scattered rain chances on and off Thursday, then again Friday night through Saturday. FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: Deviations included using high-resolution models for winds today and for precip chances today through tomorrow. For confidence in the red flag focus is really given to the best placement for the surface trough this afternoon, as it phases well with normal high gusts across the north and low RH across the southeast. However, if the thunderstorm wind gusts don't arrive until later, humidity may recover enough to no longer need the Red Flag Warning. Confidence is better than average for accumulating rain through the middle of this week. && .AVIATION... LAST UPDATE: 20425, Monday afternoon, May 12th FLIGHT CAT RANGE: Mainly VFR, but brief MVFR if a storm happens to pass directly over a TAF site. DISCUSSION: Unusually hot weather will hold today with all terminals hitting near or above 90 this afternoon which may lead to increased DENSITY ALTITUDE. A surface trough running from KJDN to KOLF to KPWD will become the focal point of any showers(20-50% chance) and thunderstorms(10-30% chance) late this afternoon through the evening from 22-06Z. Any storms that develop have the chance for gusty erratic winds as they collapse. After 06Z, remaining showers should confine themselves to west of KGGW through the morning hours. WINDS: Surface trough and a cold front will bring a wind shift to the are this evening. Ahead of the front this afternoon, expect winds from the SE around 10 to 15 kts with a few stronger gusts. Near 00Z this evening winds will be light and variable, but could become suddenly erratic and gusty near any thunderstorm. After 02Z or 03Z, post-frontal winds will set up from the NW and N around 15 to 20 kts with a few stronger gusts. && .FIRE WEATHER... Lingering effects from the ridge of high pressure in the east has allowed hot temperatures in the 90s and low humidity less than 15 percent to persist, especially in our eastern zones. Even though widespread large scale surface winds might not be quite strong enough to impact conditions, any thunderstorm outflow wind gusts could easily generate enhanced or critical fire weather conditions. The current Red Flag Warning is in effect until 9 PM this evening. && .GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for Dawson/McCone/Prairie/Richland/Wibaux Counties-Fort Peck Reservation and Daniels/Roosevelt/Sheridan Counties-Southern Petroleum and Southern Garfield Counties-The Lower Missouri River Breaks including the Charles M Russell National Wildlife Refuge. && weather.gov/glasgow
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
700 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
MTZ017-018-061-130145-
Northern Valley MT-Daniels MT-Central and Southern Valley MT-
700 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of northwestern Daniels
and northern Valley Counties through 745 PM MDT
...
At 659 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 8
miles west of Opheim, moving northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 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...
Thoeny, Baylor, Opheim, Glentana, Port Of Opheim, and Richland.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4900 10548 4844 10671 4868 10720 4900 10706
TIME...MOT...LOC 0059Z 234DEG 42KT 4889 10660
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
ZankerPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
708 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0650 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 15 NW Mosby 47.15N 108.11W
05/12/2025 M53 MPH Petroleum MT Mesonet
Mosby NW Mesonet.
&&
TFJPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
721 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0715 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 4 WSW Sand Springs 47.08N 107.57W
05/12/2025 M51 MPH Garfield MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTLUF 4.4 W Sand Springs (MT
DOT).
&&Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
734 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
MTZ016-017-020-022-023-059-061-130230-
Garfield MT-Central and Southeast Phillips MT-Northern Valley MT-
Northern Phillips MT-Western Roosevelt MT-McCone MT-
Central and Southern Valley MT-
734 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of eastern Phillips,
central Garfield, southwestern Roosevelt, Valley and central McCone
Counties through 830 PM MDT
...
At 733 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms,
moving northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of up 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...
Vandalia, Park Grove, Van Norman, The Bentonite Plant, Duck Creek Rec
Area, Glasgow, Frenchman Reservoir, Wolf Point, Nashua, Hell Creek
Rec Area, Flowing Wells Rest Area, Bowdoin, St. Marie, Jordan,
Brusett, The Pines Rec Area, Oswego, Tampico, Sleeping Buffalo, and
Hinsdale.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
If on or near Fort Peck Lake, get out of the water and move indoors
or inside a vehicle. Remember, lightning can strike out to 10 miles
from the parent thunderstorm. If you can hear thunder, you are close
enough to be struck by lightning. Move to safe shelter now! Do not
be caught on the water in a thunderstorm.
&&
LAT...LON 4900 10682 4841 10612 4810 10530 4710 10618
4746 10776 4900 10759
TIME...MOT...LOC 0133Z 221DEG 45KT 4781 10672
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.25 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
ZankerPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
752 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0746 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 WNW Jordan 47.33N 106.95W
05/12/2025 M54 MPH Garfield MT ASOS
ASOS station KJDN Jordan.
&&
TFJPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
755 PM MDT Mon May 12 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0744 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 14 NNW Hell Creek Rec A 47.80N 107.02W
05/12/2025 M51 MPH Valley MT Mesonet
Mesonet station KIGM8 King Coulee.
&&
TFJThe Glasgow radar (KGGW), 63 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:00 UTC.
3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Report occurred at the Mesonet station MTM87 Fort Peck S.
Report occurred at the Wolf Point Airport ASOS.
Report occurred at the Poplar RAWS station.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, May 2025
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: 1249533, 1249534, 1249535.