At least one tornado touched down in Carter County in southeast Montana on Thursday evening.
There were no reports of injuries or serious damage.
The National Weather Service in Billings says that "storms produced large hail, damaging winds, and one particularly intense storm over Carter County was tornadic between 730 pm and 830 pm."
Montana typically sees several tornadoes every year at this time, particularly in the eastern part of the state. Unlike those in "Tornado Alley" in the central part of the country, most Montana tornadoes are relatively small and usually touch down in sparsely-populated areas – but not always.
Last year, a small tornado hit near Sidney in Richland County in eastern Montana, injuring one person and causing damage; click here for details.
In June 2010, a tornado hit Billings, causing significant damage to the MetraPark facility; click here to see video.
Just several weeks later, two people were killed when a tornado struck a family ranch near Reserve in northeastern Montana.
Click here for a list of Montana tornadoes recorded between 1950 and 2012.
