NWS: Afternoon thunderstorms possible in Great Falls, northcentral Montana

The Great Falls area and portions of the region could see some afternoon thunderstorms on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

In a weather graphic posted on Twitter at 12:30 p.m., the area could see scattered strong storms moving southeast through the evening.

Areas in the “marginal” portion include Great Falls, Lewistown, Hays and Conrad as well as the Neihart area.

In addition to lightning, NWS warns of locally heavy rain with a chance of quarter-sized hail and strong winds.

Severe Thunderstorm warnings were issued around 1:30 p.m. for areas West of Great Falls, including Valier, Conrad, and Brady. NWS had also received reports of half-dollar sized hail in the Browning area and golf-ball sized hail in Valier, as well as strong storms moving through southwest Montana in portions of Gallatin and Broadwater counties.