Hail in Missoula County, Montana

A highly unstable environment developed across western Montana, fueled by pooling moisture and steep lapse rates. Shortwave energy rotating around a broader upper-level trough provided the necessary lift for convective initiation which resulted in large hail. As storms moved into the Idaho Panhandle and interacted with the local terrain, they organized into two distinct quasi-linear convective systems, producing widespread severe wind gusts across Lincoln and Flathead Counties.