Strong winds associated with a cold front swept through western Montana on the 14th. Wind gusts between 60-80 mph were reported in northwest Montana with numerous reports of downed powerlines and tree limbs.
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.
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.
The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.
Strong winds associated with a cold front swept through western Montana on the 14th. Wind gusts between 60-80 mph were reported in northwest Montana with numerous reports of downed powerlines and tree limbs. Highway 83 near Condon was closed briefly due to fallen debris. Metal roofing was torn off a church at Manicke in Lincoln County. Two people were injured near Yaak when a tree fell on their automobile. Power was interrupted for two hours in Paradise.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 14, 8:00 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
900 AM MDT SUN APR 14 2002
.SHORT TERM...WILL UPDATE FOR ZFP FLOOD WARNING HEADLINE...
OTHERWISE NO FURTHER CHANGES. PRECIP ON THE DECREASE BEHIND PRE-
FRONTAL TROUGH. EXPECT WINDS TO PICK UP THIS AFTERNOON WITH MIXING...
BUT IT APPEARS DIRECTION IS NOT FAVORABLE BEHIND FRONT IN GRANGEVILLE
FOR ADVISORY...SO SENT OUT CANCELLATION. MAIN CONCERN IS HYDRO WITH
FISHER AND YAAK AT FLOOD STAGE...SO WILL BE ISSUING WARNING. SIGLER
.LONG TERM...UPPER LEVEL LONGWAVE TROUGH HANGS OVER THE REGION
BRINGING UNSETTLED WEATHER TO THE AREA. AIRMASS MODIFICATION WILL
SLIGHTLY WARM TEMPERATURES EACH DAY. FRIDAY MORNING...THE TROUGH
EJECTS EASTWARD AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ENTERS THE AREA. THE RIDGE
WILL DRY THINGS OUT AND FURTHER WARM TEMPERATURES FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY. GILCHRIST
.MSO...FLOOD WARNING FOR FISHER AND YAAK RIVERS.
...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB EOO /049 029/043 029/044 3943555
EEBB 028/049 030/053 032/054 034/058 034/ 33222210112
FCA NEO /054 027/042 028/043 3942355
EEBB 027/048 029/051 030/053 032/056 033/ 33222210001
POL NEE /057 031/042 035/043 3942345
EEBB 032/049 032/053 033/054 035/058 037/ 33222210001
MSO NEO /057 029/043 028/043 3942345
EEBB 028/049 030/051 030/054 033/059 033/ 33223320000
HMM NEO /058 030/044 029/045 3952445
EEBB 030/051 032/053 033/056 035/060 037/ 33223320000
BTM NJE /056 023/040 022/040 3972534
EEBB 021/041 022/043 022/045 024/052 028/ 33231220000
ORO EEE /057 035/049 036/050 3943444
EEBB 037/053 038/057 039/060 040/063 042/ 33332310000
GRV NEE /054 031/044 032/045 3943444
EEBB 033/051 035/054 036/057 037/060 039/ 33332310000
SMN NOE /059 030/045 030/045 3972544
EEBB 028/047 029/048 030/052 032/057 033/ 33231320000The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2002
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: 5289825, 5289826, 5289827, 5289828.