High Wind in Montana, February 11, 2002

Name: High Wind in Montana, February 11, 2002
Start: 2002-02-11T02:37
End: 2002-02-11T14:00
Location: Montana

February 11, 2002 · NWS GGW · 23 events in 16 counties and zones

A cold front moved across northeast Montana during the morning hours. Strong northwest winds behind the front produced wind gusts as high as 75 mph at Whitewater and 73 mph at Bloomfield.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 23 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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 GGW wrote it up.

A cold front moved across northeast Montana during the morning hours. Strong northwest winds behind the front produced wind gusts as high as 75 mph at Whitewater and 73 mph at Bloomfield. The event was unique in the fact that many of northeast Montana zones actually experienced sustained winds greater than 40 mph for several hours, as well as the severe gusts that were reported.

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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 11, 2:28 AM MST, 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 11, 2:28 AM MST, 9 minutes before

NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
228 AM MST MON FEB 11 2002

...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY...

.SHORT TERM...CHINOOK ARCH CIRRUS SHIELD OVER EASTERN MONTANA AND
EXITING TO EAST. SCATTERED CLOUDS IN DISTINCT DRY SLOT WILL REPLACE
IT BEFORE DAWN. TEMPERATURES HAVE BEEN RISING THROUGH THE NIGHT WITH
MINS IN SOUTHERN CWA OVER NORMAL MAXES. WINDS HAVE REMAINED BELOW
WARNING CRITERIA.

THE CONCERN FOR THIS PACKAGE IS IN THE FIRST PERIOD.  AT THE
SURFACE...DEEP LOW PRESSURE MOVES ACROSS CENTRAL SASKATCHEWAN INTO
SOUTHERN MANITOBA...WHILE STRONG SURFACE HIGH HOLDS FIRM OVER
CENTRAL ROCKIES. ALOFT...UPPER RIDGE OVER MONTANA FLATTENS SHARPLY
WITH A 20 DM SPREAD IN HEIGHTS ACROSS THE CWA BY 12Z. MESO-ETA
SHOWING 850 MB WIND MAX OF +60 KTS OVER CWA AT SAME TIME. LIFTED
INDICES ARE BETWEEN ZERO AND FOUR DURING THE PERIOD.  ADD TO THIS
THE DISTINCT DRY SLOT WHICH WILL PRODUCE SOME ADDITIONAL HEATING AND
THE COLD AIR ADVECTION WHICH WILL BEGIN AROUND 12Z.  THE SUPPORT IS
THERE TO MIX THE HIGH WINDS TO THE SURFACE INTO WARNING CRITERIA FOR
ALL OF CWA. AFTER COORDINATION WITH BIL...WILL MENTION BLOWING DUST
IN SOUTHWEST ZONES WHERE HIGH WINDS MAY KICK UP PLOWED FIELDS. WINDS
MAY HANG ON INTO EARLY SECOND PERIOD BUT SHOULD BE BELOW CRITERIA.
VORT MAX ROTATES THROUGH BEFORE 18Z AND COULD PRODUCE A FEW BRIEF
SNOWSHOWERS IN FAR NORTHERN ZONES. MAINLY DRY ELSEWHERE. FRONT
PASSED THR0UGH CWA BY MIDDAY BUT POST-FRONTAL SINKING IN PACIFIC AIR
WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES UP A FEW MORE HOURS.  DRY AIR AND COLD
ADVECTION WILL PUSH READINGS DOWN FOR THE SECOND AND THIRD PERIOD
BUT REMAIN ABOVE NORMAL. HIGHER TEMPERATURES FOR THE FOURTH PERIOD
AS PACIFIC FLOW CONTINUES.

.LONG TERM...MODELS AGREE ON SPLIT-FLOW PATTERN CONTINUING THROUGH
THE PERIOD WITH THE MAIN FLOW STAYING NORTH ACROSS THE CANADIAN
PRAIRIES. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE MOVES THROUGH THE FLOW ON THURSDAY.
WINDS MAY BE A FACTOR AGAIN AND WILL HIGHLIGHT THEM FOR THURSDAY.
ZONAL FLOW FOR FRIDAY AND SATURDAY.  DIGGING TROUGH MOVES ONSHORE TO
BRITISH COLUMBIA ON SATURDAY AND NEAR THE DIVIDE ON SUNDAY. MOISTURE
STAYS WEST OF CWA BUT CLOUDS WILL RETURN ON SUNDAY. WINDS WILL NOT
BE AS STRONG ON THURSDAY SO WILL NOT HIGHLIGHT.  TEMPERATURES TO
CONTINUE ABOVE NORMAL.

FELTGEN

.GGW...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY ALL ZONES.

KGGW NBB /046 016/038 014/041 7510000
     NBBE 016/038 015/042 018/044 019/043 019/ 75010000011
KGDV NBB /047 013/038 012/041 7510000
     NBBE 016/039 014/042 016/045 019/043 019/ 75010000011

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

23 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Central and Se Phillips

When: February 11, 2:37 AM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

High Wind, Northern Phillips

When: February 11, 3:50 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where: Northern Phillips forecast zone
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

75 mph peak wind gust at Whitewater with 50-55 mph sustained.

High Wind, Little Rocky Mountains

When: February 11, 4:45 AM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

62 mph wind gust at Manning Corral RAWS.

High Wind, McCone

When: February 11, 5:00 AM MST to 9:00 AM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Measured: 45 kt (52 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

51 mph sustained wind at Signal Hill.

High Wind, Western Roosevelt

When: February 11, 5:03 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

43 mph sustained wind at McDonalds DOT site north of Wolf Point.

High Wind, Little Rocky Mountains

When: February 11, 5:21 AM MST to 7:35 AM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 44 kt (51 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

50 mph sustained wind at Hays DOT site.

High Wind, Petroleum

When: February 11, 5:45 AM MST to 6:00 AM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

64 mph peak wind gust at Dry Blood Creek Raws.

High Wind, Central and Southern Valley

When: February 11, 5:51 AM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

58 mph wind gust at King Coulee RAWS

High Wind, Northern Valley

When: February 11, 5:51 AM MST
Where: Northern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

58 mph peak wind at Bluff Creek RAWS.

High Wind, Garfield

When: February 11, 6:00 AM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

62 mph peak wind gust at Lufborough Hill DOT site near Mosby.

High Wind, Daniels

When: February 11, 6:11 AM MST to 7:11 AM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

41 mph sustained wind at Scobey.

High Wind, Dawson

When: February 11, 6:30 AM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

60 mph wind gust reported at Bloomfield.

High Wind, Central and Se Phillips

When: February 11, 6:50 AM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

60 mph peak wind at Malta.

High Wind, Central and Southern Valley

When: February 11, 6:56 AM MST to 8:00 AM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

43 mph sustained wind at Glasgow Airport.

High Wind, Central and Southern Valley

When: February 11, 7:17 AM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

63 mph peak wind gust reported 4 miles north of Oswego.

High Wind, Sheridan

When: February 11, 7:50 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Measured: 38 kt (44 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

43 mph sustained wind at Plentywood.

High Wind, Dawson

When: February 11, 7:50 AM MST to 9:15 AM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

73 mph peak wind reported by spotter at Bloomfield.

High Wind, Garfield

When: February 11, 8:15 AM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

70 mph peak wind gust reported at Sand Springs.

High Wind, Petroleum

When: February 11, 8:49 AM MST
Where: Petroleum forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

60 mph peak wind gust at Winnett.

High Wind, Richland

When: February 11, 8:55 AM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

59 mph wind gust at Sidney Airport.

High Wind, Eastern Roosevelt

When: February 11, 9:27 AM MST to 11:27 AM MST
Where: Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

60 mph peak wind and 42 mph sustained at Poplar RAWS.

High Wind, Wibaux

When: February 11, 9:45 AM MST to 10:50 AM MST
Where: Wibaux forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

70 mph wind gust at Wibaux.

High Wind, Prairie

When: February 11, 10:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Prairie forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

50 mph sustained wind with gusts to 60 mph reported at Buffalo Rapids in Terry.

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2002

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: 5281158, 5281174, 5281175, 5281172, 5281162, 5281176, 5281163, 5281159, 5281244, 5281165, 5281160, 5281167, 5281246, 5281247, 5281166, 5281161, 5281168, 5281169, 5281164, 5281173, 5281245, 5281170, 5281171.