YELLOWSTONE COUNTY — For residents in Shepherd and Huntley, Labor Day began with broken glass, damaged vehicles, and destroyed outbuildings after a powerful thunderstorm swept through the area early Monday morning.
Hail was reported at around 2-3 inches in diameter, with some residents describing hailstones as large as baseballs, battering homes and vehicles across the area. Strong winds with gusts of up to 53 mph also damaged or destroyed workshops, barns, and other structures.
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The damage left many homeowners facing a long cleanup and potentially significant repair bills.
“It was one of those sounds,” said Shepherd resident Deede Baker. “The wind came in, and it happened so hard and so fast that we both jumped out of bed.”
Baker said the worst of the storm lasted only a few minutes.
“Within a matter of probably two to three minutes, the hail hit,” she said. “That's how fast it was.”
By Monday morning, Baker's home had several damaged windows, and several vehicles had broken windshields and dents.
“The hail caught us off guard,” she said.
The storm also brought heavy rain to the Billings area and surrounding communities. More than an inch of rain fell in parts of the area, with one report indicating more than an inch fell in just 18 minutes. In Billings, flooding was reported in parts of the city, including near Eighth Avenue and Howard Avenue, where video showed water approaching knee-deep.
Related: Montana storms unleash massive hail, flooding and widespread damage
But in Shepherd and Huntley, hail and wind were the most destructive elements of the storm.
Near Huntley, Lynn Meade-Larson spent Monday cleaning up shards of glass after the storm shattered or blew out windows on several of her vehicles.
“I've never had hail at 2:30 in the morning,” Meade-Larson said. “The cars were outside, and we didn't feel we needed to get them into shelter. And, well, we were wrong.”
Her husband's work vehicle was damaged badly enough that he had to cancel a trip because he could not safely drive it until the windshield is replaced. Meade-Larson said the damage to her home and vehicles could cost tens of thousands of dollars.
“I have to see, but without any insurance ... $25,000, $30,000,” she estimated. “But the roof alone is like $50,000 if I had to completely redo it.”
Her garden also took a beating, with damage to her cucumbers, cabbages, and cantaloupes.
For Baker and Meade-Larson, the destruction brought back memories of previous severe storms, with the most recent damaging hailstorm happening just last year.
“It's still stressful every time a storm hits,” Baker said. “Now we're just like, please don't let it be hail. I think we all have a little bit of a storm trauma.”
Related: 'Demolished': Shepherd family has home flipped upside down by Monday storm
Meade-Larson said severe hail has become a recurring concern for residents in the area.
“It seems like every year we get one, two, three hailstorms,” she said. “And this seems to be the alley.”
For Shepherd resident Sarah Good and her husband, the storm caused damage far beyond their garden. Their workshop was blown off its foundation. The couple uses the building for their egg-selling business, Siersma Family Farms.
“When we looked out the window, that was a big surprise,” Good said. "The shop itself, obviously, a total loss."
Debris from the workshop was scattered down the driveway. The couple's home was also damaged, and Good said the force of the wind was strong enough to move the house.
“At one point, we couldn't see out of it because it was so windy, and then we felt the house move, and it came off the foundation about two feet," she said. "Pretty crazy, pretty scary.”
A nearby neighbor also lost an entire family barn. Good said the damage could have been much worse.
“He lost his whole barn,” she said. “And so we were lucky that it didn't come and hit us and hit the house. Like, we were really lucky for that.”
The loss of the workshop was especially difficult for Good and her husband, but she said they were grateful that nobody was hurt.
“It's really sad,” she said. “And luckily, it's just stuff.
The couple is also familiar with the devastation severe weather can bring. During last year's hailstorm, Good said, they lost three-quarters of their flock of chickens.
For many, the storm's aftermath is a reminder that the damage doesn't end when the weather clears.
“You have this many houses affected,” she said. “You have people that are looking for contractors, filing the insurance claims, all the things that go along with it. So it's not just the storm, it's all the aftermath.”
Meade-Larson said the only option is to keep moving forward.
“You carry on, pick up the mess and straighten it up and keep on getting on,” she said.
While the cleanup may take days, some repairs could take much longer. For residents who have already experienced severe storms in recent years, Monday's destruction is another reminder of how quickly a Montana thunderstorm can turn into a costly disaster.
“We're just taking one day at a time,” said Good.
