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No tornado touched down the Fourth

National Weather Service in Great Falls, after sending an investigative team up to the Hi-Line, found that no tornado touched down during the storm Saturday.

Radar indicated Saturday night that there were supercell thunderstorms, winds in excess of 60 mph, hail as large as quarters and golf balls, funnel clouds and tornadoes - all of which amounted to structural and agricultural damage across parts of the Hi-Line, a statement from Weather Service reads.

Around 9 p.m. Saturday, Weather Service called the Hill County Sheriff's Office to alert them about the strong winds approaching Havre and that Fourth of July celebrations may be impacted. At 9:16 p.m., Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning that lasted until 5 a.m. Sunday.

The first report of a tornado arrived in the Weather Service office around 10:30 p.m. and seven more were scattered throughout the following hour. The statement says 11 severe thunderstorm warnings and six tornado warnings were issued between 9:15 p.m. and 12:45 a.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Sunday, the service sent a team of three meteorologists to assess damage.

"Although damage was extensive, no physical evidence was found to support the presence of tornadoes," the statement reads. "Instead, available evidence indicated that all damage was caused by a combination of large hail and very strong straight-line winds, possibly from downbursts or microbursts. The surveyed damage routinely indicated debris spread in a uniform direction, unlike damage associated with a tornado."

But, Weather Service said, due to how widespread the storm was, a small tornado can not be ruled out.

 

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