Severe thunderstorms swept through parts of Montana over the Labor Day holiday weekend, bringing destructive hail, heavy rain, and flooding to communities in the Billings area and Fergus County, according to ktvq.com.

Billings Takes the Brunt

The Billings, Shepherd, Huntley, and Worden areas were among the hardest hit. Hailstones larger than 2 inches in diameter pelted the Billings area, with one stone measuring close to 3.5 inches across. Heavy rainfall sent floodwaters rising to near knee-depth along 8th Street West and Howard in Billings, and at least one resident reported his brother’s basement was taking on water. Photos from Worden and Huntley documented broken windows and other structural damage from the storm.

Fergus County Hit the Night Before

The Lewistown area and surrounding Fergus County had already been struck by baseball-sized hail on Sunday night. A photo taken north of Hilger around 9:30 p.m. captured a hailstone estimated between 2.5 and 3 inches in diameter. Residents in the Lewistown area began cleanup efforts Monday.

The storms are a reminder of the infrastructure strain severe weather can place on rural Montana communities. A transformer fire at Fort Peck Dam earlier this summer knocked out power to more than 3,100 Montana homes, underscoring how quickly weather-related events can disrupt essential services across the state.