Scattered strong to severe thunderstorms impacted north-central Montana again on Sunday, July 27, 2025.
The city of Havre was struck with 2.5 inches of flooding on the night of July 27th. Within 30 minutes, many streets and homes were flooded with water, and in some areas, the water level reached 3.25 inches.
As the weather worsened, the tornado sirens in the surrounding area were activated accidentally until they were shut off at around 12:30 a.m.
Fortunately, the city of Havre was well-prepared. “It was a total team response,” says Hill County’s Commission Chairman Jake Strissel. The immediate response by Havre PD, DES, and the Havre Fire Department allowed this issue to be resolved quickly with minimal damage. The water receded in most areas, and if you were to travel to Havre today, you would never have thought that a flash flood had happened mere days prior.
Havre officials cannot confirm whether the tornado sirens were triggered by a lightning strike during the severe weather. However, about 3 years ago, the siren by Legion Field was activated similarly to the one that went off during the flash flood. It looks as though bad weather tends to activate it.
The sirens were decommissioned because it was more expensive and less efficient than maintaining digital and mobile Code Red Alerts. The City Council 911 board approved of this, and it was voted and approved not to use the tornado sirens, and they were decommissioned.
No injuries or major damages were reported, so fortunately, this will remain a test of the city’s Code Red Alerts. But the Hill County Commission Chair and Havre PD highly encourage its citizens to download the Code Red Alerts on their cellular devices, so that they can be better protected in the future.
All told, 1.73 inches of rain fell on Sunday in Havre, which is the wettest July 27 on record. 1.10" of rain fell in just 10 minutes, breaking the old 10-minute rainfall record of 0.93" set on June 20, 2003.
1.70" of rain fell in 45 minutes, breaking the old record of 1.50" on June 22, 1938.
We have not received any reports of injuries.
