Ahead of a strong low pressure system, hot temperatures, just enough humid air, and an unstable atmosphere, created widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms, some of which included severe wind gusts for many locations.
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.
Ahead of a strong low pressure system, hot temperatures, just enough humid air, and an unstable atmosphere, created widespread showers and scattered thunderstorms, some of which included severe wind gusts for many locations.
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 Apr 22, 2:25 PM MST, 45 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 325 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms through this evening hours. Erratic, gusty winds can be expected with a few of these storms potentially severe. - A strong cold front will bring much colder conditions beginning tonight. General rain Thursday morning will transition to snow for some and linger into Saturday. - High Wind Warning Thursday until 8pm across NE Montana for gusts to 60 mph. && .DISCUSSION... WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: The next several days will be highly variable with strong swings in temperatures, winds, precipiation amounts, and precipitation types. The 500-mb height field is characterized by a strong ridge of high pressure through the eastern Rockies and High Plains regions through today. This is bringing near record high temperatures to many locations. Late this afternoon and evening, an approaching strong low pressure system from the Great Basin and the Northern and Central Rocky Mountain Regions will provide enough of an unstable atmosphere to allow rain showers and isolated thunderstorms to develop. Convective outlook from SPC has a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms, with the large temperature/dewpoint spread supporting strong wind gusts which are evident in HREF max wind gusts during this time span. The limiting factor may actually be too limited moisture which could limit convection in some locations in the south/east. As the system winds up and matures over our region, a strong cold front will sweep down from Saskatchewan generating rain Thursday (with wet snow at highest elevations such as Opheim). This prompted a Winter Weather Advisory for northern Valley county Thursday morning. A High Wind Warning was raised Thursday until 8pm across the area for occasional gusts to around 60mph being likely and pockets of 40mph sustained winds. An additional shortwave passing through Friday presents a chance for more widespread snow showers. Gusty winds continue through Friday's system as well. FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: Made a few deviations for increasing thunderstorm chances today and detail/strength of winds on Thursday. Confidence is moderate on the extent of severe wind gusts this evening and high for scattered wind gusts to 60 mph on Thursday. && .AVIATION... UPDATED: 2030Z FLIGHT CONDITION: VFR to IFR. DISCUSSION: Scattered rain showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected in the late afternoon and evening hours today. Light rain will become more steady (particularly at GGW) after midnight with MVFR to IFR ceilings by mid-morning Thursday. There is a slight chance that thunderstorms produce erratic severe gusty winds in the late afternoon and early evening hours near the terminals. Currently chances are too low to include in the TAFs directly. WIND: Veering toward the SW late this afternoon with gusts up to 25 kts. Veering farther to the W and NW after midnight and increasing to 20 to 30 kts gust 45 kts by Thursday morning. && .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-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. High Wind Warning from midnight tonight to 8 PM MDT Thursday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Central and Southern Valley- Garfield-Northern Phillips-Northern Valley-Petroleum-Southwest Phillips. High Wind Warning from 6 AM to 8 PM MDT Thursday for Daniels- Dawson-Eastern Roosevelt-McCone-Prairie-Richland-Sheridan- Western Roosevelt-Wibaux. Winter Weather Advisory from 6 AM to 2 PM MDT Thursday for Northern Valley. && weather.gov/glasgow
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
329 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026
MTZ021-022-222230-
Petroleum MT-Garfield MT-
329 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026
...A strong thunderstorm will impact portions of southeastern
Petroleum and southwestern Garfield Counties through 430 PM MDT
...
At 329 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm near
Mosby, or 25 miles east of Winnett, moving northwest at 15 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Sand Springs, Mosby, Edwards, Steve Fork, and Cat Creek.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4724 10834 4730 10713 4688 10739 4685 10768
4685 10789 4683 10786 4682 10798
TIME...MOT...LOC 2129Z 156DEG 12KT 4693 10781
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
ZankerSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
353 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026
MTZ022-023-026-222245-
Garfield MT-Prairie MT-McCone MT-
353 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026
...Strong thunderstorms will impact portions of southeastern
Garfield, southwestern McCone and northwestern Prairie Counties
through 445 PM MDT...
At 351 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking strong thunderstorms along
a line extending from 7 miles southeast of Edwards to 20 miles
southeast of Hillside. Movement was north at 40 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts of 50 to 55 mph.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
unsecured objects.
Locations impacted include...
Jordan, Edwards, Flowing Wells Rest Area, Cohagen, Brusett, Hillside,
Crow Rock, Watkins, Van Norman, and Steve Fork.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If outdoors, consider seeking shelter inside a building.
&&
LAT...LON 4686 10584 4686 10606 4685 10609 4686 10740
4768 10739 4721 10553 4684 10581
TIME...MOT...LOC 2151Z 202DEG 33KT 4705 10723 4666 10619
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...55 MPH
ZankerPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
408 PM MDT Wed Apr 22 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0350 PM Tstm Wnd Gst 15 S Mosby 46.78N 107.94W
04/22/2026 M55 MPH Petroleum MT Mesonet
Mosby S, MT (UMT - GGW) Elev: 2805.0 ft;
Lat/Lon: 46.78230/-107.92134.
&&
GAHThe Glasgow radar (KGGW), 150 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 22:11 UTC.
22 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Rock Springs N Montana Climate Office mesonet site (RSNM8) recorded a 59 mph wind gust.
The Jordan Airport AWOS site (KJDN) recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
The Fort Peck S Montana Climate Office mesonet site (MTM87) recorded a 66 mph wind gust.
The Vida W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (VDWM8) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
The Vida NE Montana Climate Office mesonet site (VDNM8) recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
The Lambert MT-200 DOT site (MTLBT) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
The Fort Peck Lake handar site (GGWFP) recorded a 66 mph wind gust.
The Savage CWOP mesonet site (F8536) recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
The Crane W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (CRBM8) recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
The Poplar N Montana Climate Office mesonet site (PARM8) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
The Badger Creek CWOP mesonet site (F2498) recorded a 61 mph wind gust.
The Savage MT-16 DOT site (MTSVG) recorded a 59 mph wind gust.
The Fort Kipp NW Montana Climate Office mesonet site (FTKM8) recorded a 62 mph wind gust.
The Medicine Lake W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (MEDM8) recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
The Medicine Lake RAWS site (MLKM8) recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
The Medicine Lake W Montana Climate Office mesonet site (MEDM8) recorded a 71 mph wind gust.
The Bredette NE Montana Climate Office mesonet site (BDEM8) recorded a 64 mph wind gust.
The Navajo MT-5 DOT site (MTRED) recorded a 60 mph wind gust.
The Comertown Turn-Off MT-5 DOT site (MTRED) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
The Sher-Wood Airport AWOS site (KPWD) recorded a 71 mph wind gust.
The Medicine Lake RAWS site (MLKM8) recorded a 66 mph wind gust.
The Scobey NW Montana Climate Office mesonet site (SCYM8) recorded a 58 mph wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2026
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: 1325562, 1325563, 1325568, 1325565, 1325566, 1325570, 1325571, 1325569, 1325572, 1325585, 1325586, 1325587, 1325591, 1325593, 1325573, 1325596, 1325574, 1325579, 1325581, 1325580, 1325584, 1325583.