BOZEMAN — After three people were struck by lightning at a high school in Kalispell, safety comes to mind when the skies in Montana can go from blue, to dark and stormy, all in a matter of minutes.
“We were watching the storm come in, and we made it halfway, and we started hearing thunder. So we started looking for like, time to get off the river. And then when we saw lightning, we were able to get off,” says Shelby Roberdeau.
Shelby and Maddie Roberdeau were visiting family on a floating trip Monday; they were surprised with how few people got out of the river during a thunderstorm.
“There was a group that was getting back on the river when we were getting off, and some people just didn't have—they had to get to their car,” says Roberdeau.
Tuesday afternoon while interviewing Mark Ator, the Bozeman School District athletic director, we watched as the marching band moved practice inside due to weather.
“We usually use, ten miles away is kind of a marker,” says Ator.
As school and practice ramps up for the school year, each school has people keeping an eye on radar looking for storms headed towards Bozeman.
“It's our trainers that are in charge of lightning detection. And they are supposed to notify coaches,” says Ator.
In the summer, Ator says storms are their main focus and they always keep an eye on the skies.
“We live in Montana, so we have to be worried about smoke, lightning. We have to be worried about snow, wind,” says Ator.
