Montana, 2002High Wind in Montana, November 18, 2002
November 18, 2002 · NWS TFX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones
5 high wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 Nov 18, 2:45 AM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 18, 2:45 AM MST, 1 hour 15 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
245 AM MST MON NOV 18 2002
.SHORT TERM...FLOW OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES REMAINS NORTHWESTERLY
THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS OVER THE WEST
COAST. AT THE SURFACE...HIGH PRESSURE REMAINS QUASI-STATIONARY OVER
THE GREAT BASIN. IMPULSES RIDING OVER THE TOP OF THE UPPER RIDGE
WILL CAUSE PERIODIC PRESSURE FALLS IN CANADA...ALLOWING THE SURFACE
GRADIENT TO TIGHTEN FROM TIME TO TIME. DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL
STRENGTHEN DURING THESE PERIODS...AND THE CONTINUING BIG FORECAST
PROBLEM FOR THE EARLY PART OF THIS WEEK IS TO DETERMINE IF, WHEN,
AND WHERE HIGH WIND CRITERIA WILL BE MET IN MY CWA. FOR TODAY...
UPPER LEVEL WINDS DO NOT APPEAR OVERLY STRONG AND ALSO HAVE AN
UNFAVORABLE NORTHWEST COMPONENT. MODELS ALSO KEEP THE PRESSURE
GRADIENT RELATIVELY UNCHANGED...SO WILL CANCEL THE HIGH WIND WATCH.
UPPER LEVEL WINDS ARE FORECAST TO INCREASE SOMEWHAT ON TUESDAY.
PRESSURE GRADIENTS ALSO TIGHTEN...SO WILL ISSUE YET ANOTHER WATCH FOR
TUESDAY. MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST OVER THE NEXT DAY OR
TWO. IT HAS BEEN NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO ACCURATELY PREDICT WHEN BREAKS
IN THE MOISTURE FIELD WILL ALLOW SKIES TO GO PARTLY CLOUDY...BUT
WATER VAPOR IMAGERY LOOKS VERY MOIST SO WILL KEEP A MOSTLY CLOUDY
FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY THE UPPER RIDGE BUILDS
STRONGLY OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THIS SHOULD SHUNT MOST OF THE
MOISTURE AND STRONGER MID-LEVEL WINDS NORTH INTO CANADA. EXPECT DRY,
WARM AND NOT AS WINDY CONDITIONS ON WEDNESDAY. MPJ
.EXTENDED...UPPER LEVEL RIDGE FIRMLY IN PLACE OVER THE ROCKIES ON
THURSDAY WITH TEMPERATURES RUNNING WELL ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES. A
WEAK SHORTWAVE AND COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO FLATTEN THE RIDGE LATE
THURSDAY AND CROSS THE AREA SOMETIME ON FRIDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL
BRING A BRIEF SHOT OF COLDER AIR...WITH ONLY A SMALL CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION ON FRIDAY. RIDGE REBOUNDS QUICKLY OVER THE WEEKEND
WITH TEMPERATURES BEGINNING TO WARM AFTER A COOL DAY ON SATURDAY.
WILL MAKE MINOR CHANGES TO TEMPERATURES TO LINE UP BETTER WITH
SURROUNDING OFFICES...OTHERWISE FORECAST IN GOOD SHAPE. JCA
.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NN 052/040 056/040 058 14001
BBEBB 037/060 034/046 025/043 023/045 027 00000110000
CTB NN 050/040 054/040 056 14001
BBEBB 033/056 032/043 022/036 021/042 025 00000110000
HLN NN 053/035 054/035 057 14011
BBEBB 032/060 033/043 020/038 020/042 025 00000110000
BZN EE 048/028 050/028 053 14012
BBEBB 024/056 027/043 020/038 018/039 023 00000110000
WEY EE 035/016 038/015 041 14022
BBEBB 022/047 022/038 018/032 014/034 021 00000110000
DLN EE 046/027 050/028 051 14011
BBEBB 024/053 023/042 020/038 017/038 022 00000110000
HVR NN 052/037 058/037 059 14001
BBEBB 033/062 033/048 026/045 024/045 023 00000110000
LWT NN 050/034 055/036 057 14001
BBEBB 034/060 033/050 024/044 024/045 022 00000110000
.TFX...HIGH WIND WATCH TUESDAY FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT AND IMMEDIATE ADJACENT PLAINS.Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 6:30 AM MST, 21 hours 30 minutes before
MTZ008>015-044>055-180130-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
630 AM MST SUN NOV 17 2002
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA
.DAY ONE...TODAY
A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES TODAY THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR THE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS. REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.
INSTRUCTIONS TO SPOTTERS...
WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY
HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO AFFECT NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA THROUGH
MID-WEEK.
High Wind, Eastern Glacier
- When
- November 18, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Glacier forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and much of the adjacent Plains on the 18th. Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 18th, and began to decrease in intensity around noon.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cascade 5S 70 mph at 0430 MST; Browning 59 mph at 0850 MST; Pendroy sustained winds of 47 mph at 1015 MST; Cut Bank 63 mph at 1155 MST; and Augusta 4W 85 mph at 1240 MST.
High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- November 18, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and much of the adjacent Plains on the 18th. Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 18th, and began to decrease in intensity around noon.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cascade 5S 70 mph at 0430 MST; Browning 59 mph at 0850 MST; Pendroy sustained winds of 47 mph at 1015 MST; Cut Bank 63 mph at 1155 MST; and Augusta 4W 85 mph at 1240 MST.
High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- November 18, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and much of the adjacent Plains on the 18th. Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 18th, and began to decrease in intensity around noon.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cascade 5S 70 mph at 0430 MST; Browning 59 mph at 0850 MST; Pendroy sustained winds of 47 mph at 1015 MST; Cut Bank 63 mph at 1155 MST; and Augusta 4W 85 mph at 1240 MST.
High Wind, Eastern Pondera
- When
- November 18, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Eastern Pondera forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and much of the adjacent Plains on the 18th. Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 18th, and began to decrease in intensity around noon.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cascade 5S 70 mph at 0430 MST; Browning 59 mph at 0850 MST; Pendroy sustained winds of 47 mph at 1015 MST; Cut Bank 63 mph at 1155 MST; and Augusta 4W 85 mph at 1240 MST.
High Wind, Cascade
- When
- November 18, 4:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
- Where
- Cascade forecast zone
- Measured
- 74 kt (85 mph)
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and much of the adjacent Plains on the 18th. Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 18th, and began to decrease in intensity around noon.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cascade 5S 70 mph at 0430 MST; Browning 59 mph at 0850 MST; Pendroy sustained winds of 47 mph at 1015 MST; Cut Bank 63 mph at 1155 MST; and Augusta 4W 85 mph at 1240 MST.
- 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.
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: 5322804, 5322805, 5322806, 5322877, 5322878.