Montana, 2002

High Wind in Montana, January 18 to 19, 2002

January 18 to 19, 2002 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

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

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 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 Jan 18, 9:55 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 18, 9:55 AM MST, 5 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
955 AM MST FRI JAN 18 2002

.SHORT TERM...WILL UPDATE THIS MORNING FOR CLOUD COVER AND TO LOWER
POPS ACROSS THE NORTH. UPPER TROF PUSHING ACROSS EASTERN MONTANA AT
THIS TIME. LIGHT SNOW CONTINUES TO FALL FROM LEWISTOWN AND POINTS
SOUTH AND WEST. DRIER AIR HAS MOVED INTO THE NORTHWEST AND THE
THREAT OF ANY SNOW HAS VANISHED. WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH WIND
WARNING FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT LATER THIS AFTERNOON
AND EVENING. 12Z ETA CONTINUES TO INDICATE A VERY TIGHT SURFACE
GRADIENT ACROSS THE AREA THIS AFTERNOON. EMANUEL

.EXTENDED...NEWEST MRF IS A BIT STRONGER WITH UPPER TROUGH PROGGED
TO MOVE OVER THE WRN CONUS ON TUE. THIS FEATURE ALSO MOVES OUT OF
AREA FASTER THAN DEPICTED YESTERDAY. THE STRONGER TROUGH IS MORE IN
LINE WITH ECMWF MODEL...ALTHOUGH ECMWF HOLDS THE TROUGH BACK LONGER
AS STRENGTHENING OCCURS OVER THE SW CONUS. BELIEVE THAT THE GOING
FORECAST IS PRETTY MUCH ON TRACK WITH POSSIBLE SOLUTION...
ESPECIALLY THROUGH WED. IT APPEARS THAT THURS MAY SEE GUSTY WEST
WINDS OVER THE PLAINS...AND WILL INTRODUCE THIS TO WORDING. NO OTHER
CHANGES PLANNED FOR EXTENDED. MPJ

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF EN 029/021 034/018 036 14202
   NNEEN 023/040 018/029 012/026 012/030 012 11002222211
CTB BN 026/019 032/018 033 14101
   NNEEN 018/034 015/025 007/022 012/028 012 11001111111
HLN EJ 030/016 033/018 033 14323
   JEEEE 016/036 017/030 016/024 016/026 016 24112222222
BZN JJ 022/007 026/013 028 14324
   JEEJE 012/030 012/028 008/021 008/025 008 44223333322
WEY EJ 012/910 015/905 015 14335
   JEJJE 005/020 005/020 910/012 912/018 912 55335555522
DLN EJ 022/005 025/011 028 14324
   JNEJE 011/029 012/028 005/022 005/025 005 33212233322
HVR EN 024/010 028/014 033 14201
   NNEEN 021/040 012/030 008/023 006/029 006 12002222211
LWT JE 022/013 031/017 033 14612
   NNEEN 020/037 014/028 008/022 005/028 005 12002222211

.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR
       THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT (MTZ009).

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When
January 18, 10:00 AM MST to January 19, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured
47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent plains, beginning mid morning on the 18th and continued into the early morning hours of the 19th. Sustained winds of 40 mph were reported at East Glacier Park 2 E during the morning and afternoon hours on the 18th. The peak wind speed of 54 mph at Cut Bank occurred at 1949 MST on the 18th.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
January 18, 10:00 AM MST to January 19, 4:00 AM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
47 kt (54 mph)
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent plains, beginning mid morning on the 18th and continued into the early morning hours of the 19th. Sustained winds of 40 mph were reported at East Glacier Park 2 E during the morning and afternoon hours on the 18th. The peak wind speed of 54 mph at Cut Bank occurred at 1949 MST on the 18th.

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 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 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: 5279389, 5279490.