Montana, 2026

Damaging Wind and Strong Wind in Montana, May 13, 2026

May 13, 2026 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A strong cold front, combined with scattered thunderstorms embedded in southwest flow, interacted with an anomalously warm and dry air mass across southwest Montana. High temperatures were in the 80s, creating large dewpoint depressions.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • 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
$3,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 MSO wrote it up.

A strong cold front, combined with scattered thunderstorms embedded in southwest flow, interacted with an anomalously warm and dry air mass across southwest Montana. High temperatures were in the 80s, creating large dewpoint depressions. High winds aloft, reaching 65 knots between 16,000 and 18,000 feet MSL, were brought to the surface by both convective downdrafts and evaporative cooling, as well as the passing cold front. This synoptic setup led to severe and high wind gusts across the region.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 13, 1:12 PM MST, 3 hours 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 13, 1:12 PM MST, 3 hours 17 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
212 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

.DISCUSSION...

KEY MESSAGES:

- Breezy to windy conditions this afternoon and evening from cold
  front and thunderstorms

- Mountain snow especially in Glacier NP tonight through Thursday
  morning

- Frost/Freeze potential Sunday and Monday mornings

A strong cold front will continue to move through the Northern
Rockies this afternoon and evening causing breezy to windy
conditions. Multiple wind advisories have been issued for the
Northern Rockies to take in account the potential impacts from the
wind. Ahead of the front, thunderstorms will develop over
southwest Montana causing stronger winds aloft to mix to the
surface. A few of these storms might have the potential to cause
gusts up to 70 mph, so a severe thunderstorm watch box has been
issued for the counties with the highest potential.

As the low pressure system moves through the region tonight the
bulk of the precipitation will be mainly confined to northwest
Montana. Snow levels will be dropping to around 5000 feet tonight
so the higher terrain should anticipate snow accumulation by
Thursday morning. The heaviest snow appears to be across Glacier
National Park where 8 to 12 inches of new snow should be expected
for the higher terrain. The combination of wind and snow will
create raw and blustery conditions for any outdoor
recreationalists, so a winter weather advisory was issued.

Another colder low pressure system is expected to move over the
Northern Rockies this weekend causing widespread precipitation.
The cold air associated with this system has the potential to
cause minimum temperatures to drop to around or below freezing by
Sunday and Monday mornings, mainly for western Montana and Lemhi
county. This cold air will also cause snow levels to drop to
around 4000 feet by Sunday morning, so higher elevation valleys of
western Montana could have some light snow accumulations.

&&

.AVIATION...A strong cold front will continue to push across the
Northern Rockies bringing widespread showers and thunderstorms
along with gusty westerly winds. The strongest storms and winds
are expected across southwest Montana and Lemhi county this
afternoon, potentially impacting KSMN and KBTM. The low pressure
system moves into the area tonight causing steady precipitation
across northwest Montana while snow levels drop to around 5000
feet.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Wind Advisory until midnight MDT tonight for Bitterroot/Sapphire
     Mountains...Butte/Blackfoot Region...Flathead/Mission
     Valleys...Kootenai/Cabinet Region...Lower Clark Fork
     Region...Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys...Potomac/Seeley Lake
     Region...West Glacier Region.

     Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 3 PM MDT
     Thursday for West Glacier Region.

     Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for Deerlodge/West
     Beaverhead...East Beaverhead.

ID...Wind Advisory until 9 PM MDT this evening for Eastern Lemhi
     County.

&&

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 13, 11:45 AM MST, 4 hours 44 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Missoula MT
1245 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

MTZ007-131915-
Butte/Blackfoot Region MT-
1245 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT NORTHEASTERN DEER LODGE...NORTH
CENTRAL SILVER BOW AND SOUTHEASTERN POWELL COUNTIES UNTIL 115 PM
MDT...

At 1245 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Gregson Hot Springs, or 10 miles southeast of Anaconda, moving
northeast at 60 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...
  Deer Lodge, Galen, Warm Springs, Gregson Hot Springs, Racetrack,
  Opportunity, Crackerville and Ramsay.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 4604 11297 4655 11269 4646 11237 4633 11246
      4634 11249 4633 11250 4633 11253 4630 11257
      4626 11256 4624 11258 4624 11260 4621 11257
      4620 11258 4618 11258 4618 11256 4596 11271
TIME...MOT...LOC 1844Z 202DEG 50KT 4605 11281

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
Special weather statement, May 13, 12:23 PM MST, 4 hours 6 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Missoula MT
123 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

MTZ007-131945-
Butte/Blackfoot Region MT-
123 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN SILVER BOW COUNTY UNTIL
145 PM MDT...

At 123 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm over
Divide, or 21 miles southwest of Butte, moving northeast at 40 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...
  Butte, Divide, Newcomb and Janney.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

&&

LAT...LON 4602 11256 4589 11241 4586 11242 4585 11243
      4582 11238 4566 11270 4568 11270 4568 11272
      4570 11275 4570 11274 4571 11275 4573 11275
      4575 11276 4576 11278 4576 11280 4578 11283
      4578 11287 4579 11289 4578 11291 4579 11292
TIME...MOT...LOC 1923Z 230DEG 36KT 4574 11279

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
Local storm report, May 13, 1:00 PM MST, 3 hours 29 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Missoula MT
200 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0153 PM     Tstm Wnd Gst     3 SSE Butte             45.97N 112.50W
05/13/2026  M54 MPH          Silver Bow         MT   ASOS

            ASOS station KBTM Butte-mooney Ap.

&&

AL
Local storm report, May 13, 4:17 PM MST, 12 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Missoula MT
517 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0516 PM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Frenchtown              47.01N 114.23W
05/13/2026  M50 MPH          Missoula           MT   Fire Dept/Rescue

&&

BEC
Local storm report, May 13, 4:20 PM MST, 9 minutes before
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Missoula MT
520 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1100 AM     Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 9 NE Bigfork            48.15N 113.93W
05/13/2026  M53 MPH          Flathead           MT   Mesonet

            Mesonet station MAEMT Mount Aeneas.

&&

AL
Special weather statement, May 13, 4:22 PM MST, 7 minutes before
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Missoula MT
522 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

MTZ007-132345-
Butte/Blackfoot Region MT-
522 PM MDT Wed May 13 2026

...A STRONG THUNDERSTORM WILL IMPACT SOUTHEASTERN POWELL COUNTY UNTIL
545 PM MDT...

At 522 PM MDT, Doppler radar was tracking a strong thunderstorm 11
miles east of Deer Lodge, moving northeast at 50 mph.

HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 30 mph.

SOURCE...Radar indicated.

IMPACT...Gusty winds could knock down tree limbs and blow around
         unsecured objects.

Locations impacted include...
  Elliston, Avon and Blossburg.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Monitor the weather situation closely and be alert for threatening
weather conditions.

Frequent cloud to ground lightning is occurring with this storm.
Lightning can strike 10 miles away from a thunderstorm. Seek a safe
shelter inside a building or vehicle.

&&

LAT...LON 4633 11253 4646 11282 4674 11254 4670 11254
      4670 11241 4666 11241 4666 11232 4663 11230
      4660 11229 4658 11232 4656 11231 4655 11231
      4653 11229 4652 11229 4651 11231 4650 11230
      4634 11249 4634 11250 4633 11250
TIME...MOT...LOC 2321Z 216DEG 45KT 4645 11255

MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...30 MPH

The radar

The Missoula radar (KMSX), 166 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:31 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Silver Bow

When
May 13, 4:29 PM MST to 4:35 PM MST
Where
Silver Bow County, (Btm)mooney Arpt But
Measured
58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$2,000
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
45.950, -112.500

An initial thunderstorm produced a 54 MPH wind gust just west of Homestake Pass at 1254MST. This gust resulted in a power outage that lasted until 1930MST. Later, at 1629MST, a 67 MPH wind gust was measured at the Bert Mooney Airport (KBTM). This severe gust was associated with a weak thunderstorm that mixed down stronger winds from aloft, aided by evaporative cooling. The strong winds caused a tree branch to fall onto a car.

Strong Wind, Butte / Blackfoot Region

When
May 13, 5:54 PM MST to 6:15 PM MST
Where
Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Non-convective winds occurring behind a cold front resulted in high winds across the zone. In the city of Deer Lodge (Powell County), a 53 MPH wind gust was measured at 1754MST, which blew a few shingles off a roof. The DRLM Agrimet station south of Deer Lodge measured gusts up to 49 mph between 1800MST and 1815MST. MacDonald Pass also recorded a 55 MPH wind gust. At 1815MST, a 59 mph wind gust was measured at Warm Springs (Deer Lodge County).

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.
Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, May 2026

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: 1329567, 1329568.