Montana, 2001

High Wind in Montana, December 24, 2001

December 24, 2001 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

1 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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 forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 24, 9:55 AM MST, 2 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 24, 9:55 AM MST, 2 hours before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
955 AM MST MON DEC 24 2001

.SHORT TERM...NO UPDATE NEEDED THIS MORNING. UPPER RIDGE AND
ASSOCIATED NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT CONTINUE OVER CWA TODAY. SURFACE
GRADIENT REMAINS TIGHT IN THE VICINITY OF GLACIER PARK AND GUSTY
WINDS WILL PERSIST THAT AREA. FOG ALSO PERSISTENT IN HELENA VALLEY
THOUGH IT SHOULD LIFT BY MIDDAY. EMANUEL

.EXTENDED...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT EARLY IN
FORECAST PERIOD. A VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE MOVES DOWN BACK SIDE OF UPPER
RIDGE AND OVER MT WED NIGHT AND THURSDAY. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE
PUSHES INTO THE STATE AND THICKNESSES DROP SIGNIFICANTLY. UPSLOPE
FLOW IS ESTABLISHED FOR A CHANCE OF SNOW...BUT PRECIPITATION MAY BE
OVERDONE SINCE MRF DEPICTS OVER-RUNNING MOISTURE DUE TO PACIFIC
SYSTEM WHICH WAS MENTIONED IN SHORT TERM DISCUSSION. HOWEVER...ENOUGH
MOISTURE SHOULD ACCOMPANY THE NORTHERLY-BRANCH SHORT WAVE FOR CURRENT
CHANCE FORECAST TO PAN OUT OK. NEW MRF BRINGS A NORTHEAST FLOW WITH
REINFORCING ARCTIC AIR OVER THE WEEKEND. ECMWF AND OLD MRF DO NOT
SUPPORT THIS SCENARIO...AND WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO GOING
FORECAST ATTM.

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF UU 036/021 042/026 035 14000
   BEUUB 017/033 015/035 019/037 020/040 020 00331000000
CTB UU 040/018 040/022 032 14000
   BEUUB 015/031 012/033 017/035 021/038 021 00221000000
HLN UU 024/005 028/007 025 14000
   EBUUB 008/028 012/030 015/030 016/031 016 01221000000
BZN UU 033/008 035/008 030 14000
   EBUUB 008/028 010/029 011/030 012/031 012 01221000000
WEY UU 024/906 028/904 024 14000
   EBUUU 905/014 907/018 902/020 001/020 001 01132111111
DLN UU 032/006 034/008 028 08000
   EBUUB 005/028 006/029 008/030 010/031 010 01221000000
HVR UU 034/008 037/014 030 14000
   BEUUB 014/028 010/030 015/033 019/035 019 00341000000
LWT UU 039/017 041/019 036 14000
   BEUUB 015/030 013/032 017/035 021/037 021 00341000000

.TFX...NONE.

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
December 24, 11:55 AM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Reported at Browning HANDAR automated observing site.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2001

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: 5275212.