2 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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 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 Mar 10, 9:15 AM MST, 3 hours 45 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
915 AM MST SUN MAR 10 2002
UPDATES TO ZONES INCLUDING EXTENDED PORTION AND ALSO STATE
.SHORT TERM...CURRENT FORECAST LOOKS IN PRETTY GOOD SHAPE AND MAIN
CHANGE WILL BE TO LOWER FORECAST HIGH AT HVR. REASON FOR THIS IS
LATEST MODEL RUNS ARE NOT AS FAR N WITH THE WARM FRONT AT 00Z.
SHORTWAVE THAT BROUGHT SOME LIGHT SNOW TO N CENTRAL MT OVERNIGHT HAS
MOVED OUT OF THE AREA SO FOR N CENTRAL MT WILL ALSO DROP MENTION OF
PRECIPITATION FOR TODAY. OTHERWISE MODEL INITIALIZATIONS MAY BE A
LITTLE SLOW WITH THE SHORTWAVE OFF THE W COAST. THIS SHORTWAVE WILL
BE MOVING THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA LATER TONIGHT. SYSTEM IS NOT
THAT STRONG AND HAS LESS MOISTURE THAN THE SHORTWAVE THAT MOVED
THROUGH N CENTRAL MT EARLY THIS MORNING. SO DRY FORECAST FOR THE
PLAINS/VALLEYS LOOKS OK. HARD TO GET A FIX ON WHAT CLOUD CONDITIONS
WILL BE THIS AFTERNOON LOOKING AT SATELLITE IMAGERY SO WILL LEAVE
CURRENT FORECASTS ALONE. FORECAST HIGHS IN THE 30S TODAY IN THE WARM
AIR LOOK REASONABLE JUDGING BY THE TFX SOUNDING THIS MORNING. AS FOR
THE HIGH WIND WATCH...LATEST MESOETA HAS 700 MB WINDS MON/MON NIGHT
RANGING FROM 50 TO 65 KNOTS. SURFACE LOW IS STILL FORECAST TO TRACK
ACROSS ALTA. LATEST LOCAL APPLICATION PROGRAM STILL INDICATES HIGH
WINDS IN THE WATCH AREA. BLANK
.EXTENDED...NOTICED CURRENT FORECAST HAS 20 PCT POPS OVER THE PLAINS
DURING THE PERIOD BUT NO MENTION OF SNOW. WILL CORRECT EXTENDED
TO INDICATE A CHANCE OF SNOW. CURRENT FORECAST AS WELL AS MOS
GUIDANCE LOOKS TOO WARM JUDGING BY SURFACE PATTERN AND THICKNESS
VALUES. WILL ALSO LOWER SOME TEMPERATURES. BLANK
.CCF NUMBERS
GTF EN 037/026 045/033 042 13011
NEEEE 021/035 014/031 016/033 015/025 015 10222222442
CTB EN 032/017 042/028 035 13112
NEEEE 018/032 011/027 012/028 005/015 002 11222233333
HLN EN 037/022 044/030 044 13111
NEEEE 023/034 016/030 018/033 020/033 020 11222222222
BZN EE 036/020 042/024 040 13212
CEEEE 010/035 009/030 008/030 008/030 008 13332222222
WEY EE 030/005 033/015 030 13423
JJJJE 005/025 004/023 002/020 002/020 002 24444444433
DLN EE 038/025 042/028 042 13212
CJEEE 018/031 015/030 013/032 013/032 013 13332222211
HVR EN 020/010 042/025 042 13-11
NEEEE 016/030 012/029 013/030 010/015 005 11222233333
LWT EN 039/022 044/030 042 13-11
NEEEE 018/033 013/030 014/032 015/026 015 12222222442
.TFX...HIGH WIND WATCH ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND EASTERN GLACIER
COUNTY MON AFTERNOON AND NIGHT (ZONES 009/010/048).2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A high wind event occurred over parts of the Rocky Mountain Front beginning on the afternoon of the 10th, and ending during the early morning hours on the 11th. Sustained winds of 40 mph occurred at Cut Bank at 1540 MST, and an 80 mph wind gust was recorded at the Choteau Airport at 1530 MST.
A high wind event occurred over parts of the Rocky Mountain Front beginning on the afternoon of the 10th, and ending during the early morning hours on the 11th. Sustained winds of 40 mph occurred at Cut Bank at 1540 MST, and an 80 mph wind gust was recorded at the Choteau Airport at 1530 MST.
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, March 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: 5287222, 5287223.