Severe thunderstorm warnings hit Wolf Creek, Lewis and Clark County

Severe thunderstorm warnings swept across southeastern Lewis and Clark County as storms moved north toward Wolf Creek, bringing wind gusts reported up to 60 mph and raising concerns for travelers in the narrow Interstate 15 corridor. The area around Wolf Creek, about 28 miles north of Helena, sits in a tight canyon where even a brief burst of strong wind can make driving difficult and turn flying debris into a hazard.

The National Weather Service kept Severe Thunderstorm Watch 199 in effect for Lewis and Clark County and much of western and central Montana until 9 p.m. MDT Wednesday, May 13. At the same time, NWS Great Falls issued a High Wind Warning for the Gates of the Mountains area, including Canyon Creek, Wolf Creek and Craig, from midnight Wednesday night through 6 p.m. MDT Thursday. The warning called for southwest winds of 30 to 40 mph with gusts up to 60 mph and warned of loose debris, property damage, power outages, difficult travel and blowing dust that could cut visibility Thursday afternoon.

NWS Great Falls said showers and thunderstorms were expected to develop over west and southwest Montana and move quickly northeast toward the plains and valleys by evening. The main hazards were localized strong damaging winds and lightning, a combination that can knock down limbs, strain power lines and force drivers to slow or stop in exposed stretches of road.

So far, no major damage had been reported in the Wolf Creek area, but the warnings underscored how quickly a storm can affect a small, spread-out county. Lewis and Clark County had an estimated population of 75,331 in July 2025, and much of that population lives far from one another across a landscape of valleys, canyons and highway corridors. In a place like Wolf Creek, where homes and businesses are sparse but the road network is critical, a short-lived severe storm can still disrupt daily life, delay travel and leave residents watching for outages as the weather front pushes east.