Montana, 2000

Winter Storm and High Wind in Montana, January 9, 2000

January 9, 2000 · NWS MSO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

In Sanders County wind damage occurred in Thompson Falls and vicinity, where high winds downed trees and power lines. Trees reported downed onto mobile home, house and van.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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 MSO wrote it up.

In Sanders County wind damage occurred in Thompson Falls and vicinity, where high winds downed trees and power lines. Trees reported downed onto mobile home, house and van. In Mineral County, Sheriff reported roads closed and power lines down due to downed trees, and tree fell onto an apartment. In Flathead County near Big Fork, high wind caused blizzard conditions reported by spotters with wind gusts between 50 mph and 70 mph. In Coram, wind toppled a power pole and left homes without power for almost nine hours. In Lake County near Polson, a roof shed was blown off by strong winds with damage to a truck roof cab. In the Missoula valley wind gusts between 50 mph and 60 mph caused damage to patio roof, downed trees and power outages. 30 miles south of Libby in Lincoln County, a roof was blown off a hay barn with winds in excess of 50 mph.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 high wind, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When
January 9, 3:30 PM MST to 6:30 PM MST
Where
Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys

When
January 9, 3:30 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph)
Reported by
NWS EMPLOYEE(OFF DUTY)
Coordinates
46.560, -114.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Lower Clark Fork Region

When
January 9, 3:35 PM MST to 5:00 PM MST
Where
Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When
January 9, 4:00 PM MST to 4:15 PM MST
Where
Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2000

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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5127121, 5127122, 5127120, 5127123.