High Wind in Montana, December 15, 1996

Name: High Wind in Montana, December 15, 1996
Start: 1996-12-15T14:00
End: 1996-12-15T17:00
Location: Montana

December 15, 1996 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A weather spotter 5 miles south of Cascade reported a wind gust of 62 mph. Another spotter, 11 miles south of Chinook, had a wind gust of 71 mph.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

A weather spotter 5 miles south of Cascade reported a wind gust of 62 mph. Another spotter, 11 miles south of Chinook, had a wind gust of 71 mph.

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Hill

When: December 15, 2:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)

High Wind, Cascade

When: December 15, 2:00 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, December 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5579957, 5579958.