Name: High Wind in Montana, November 19, 2002
Start: 2002-11-19T00:00
End: 2002-11-19T12:00
Location: Montana

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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, 8:45 PM MST, 3 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 18, 8:45 PM MST, 3 hours 15 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
845 PM MST MON NOV 18 2002

SHORT TERM...WILL UPDATE ZONES. SATELLITE INDICATES SOME CLEARING
OVER THE NORTHERN ZONES WITH CLOUDS AND PRECIPITATION IN WESTERN
WASHINGTON MOVING TOWARDS WESTERN MONTANA. WINDS REMAIN STRONG AND
GUSTY. WILL UPDATE MAINLY FOR CLOUD CONDITIONS AND TONIGHTS LOW
TEMPERATURES. NEW MESO-ETA GIVES GOOD LIFT AND PRECIP OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AS WELL AS WINDS AND SOME WARM AIR
ADVECTION. WILL LEAVE WORDING FOR SNOW AMOUNTS ALONG THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT. CAMP

.EXTENDED...A WEAK SHORTWAVE AND COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO FLATTEN THE
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE ON FRIDAY. THIS FEATURE WILL BRING A BRIEF SHOT OF
COLDER AIR...WITH ONLY A SMALL CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION ON FRIDAY.
NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT ON SATURDAY WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES. GUSTY
WINDS TO RETURN TO NORTHERN ZONES. RIDGE TRIES TO REBOUND SUNDAY WITH
ANOTHER SHORT WAVE TO MOVE QUICKLY OVER THE RIDGE ON MONDAY. MODELS
DISAGREE THIS FAR OUT SO FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY WENT WITH A MIXTURE
FOR LITTLE TEMPERATURE CHANGE OVER THE WEEK WITH NO PRECIPITATION.
CAMP

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF EE 038/056 040/058 037 04111
    BEBBB 063/034 046/025 043/023 045/027 043 1-001110000
CTB CE 035/055 040/056 034 04111
    BEBBB 060/032 043/022 036/021 042/025 040 1-001110000
HLN CE 038/055 039/058 031 04111
    BEBBB 061/033 043/020 038/020 042/025 039 1-001110000
BZN CE 030/050 032/054 022 04221
    BEBBB 055/027 043/020 038/018 039/023 038 1-001110000
WEY CE 021/038 024/041 018 04442
    BEBBB 042/022 038/018 032/014 034/021 032 21001110000
DLN CE 028/048 030/051 022 04111
    BEBBB 053/023 042/020 038/017 038/022 036 1-001110000
HVR EE 037/058 037/059 032 04111
    BEBBB 064/033 048/026 045/024 045/023 040 1-001110000
LWT EE 032/054 036/056 034 04111
    BEBBB 061/033 050/024 044/024 045/022 040 1-001110000

.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR TONIGHT AND TUESDAY FOR THE NORTHERN
       AND SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 18, 9:15 PM MST, 2 hours 45 minutes before

MTZ008>015-044>055-191200-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
915 PM MST MON NOV 18 2002

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO AFFECT THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT
AND ADJACENT PLAINS. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR LATE
TONIGHT. SNOW IS EXPECTED TO INCREASE ACROSS NORTHWEST MONTANA ABOVE
7000 FEET TONIGHT. 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...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TUESDAY ALONG THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS. REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER
DETAILS. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE FORECAST AREA BY
MID WEEK FOR WARMER AND LESS WINDY CONDITIONS THROUGH FRIDAY. EARLY
NEXT WEEKEND A CANADIAN COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH
CENTRAL MONTANA BRINGING COOLER TEMPERATURES AND A CHANCE OF RAIN OR
SNOW SHOWERS.

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 19, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent Plains on the 19th.Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 19th, and began to decrease in intensity during the early afternoon hours.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cut Bank 60 mph at 0200 MST; Pendroy 18W 60 mph at 0400 MST; Dupuyer 60 mph at 0400 MST; Choteau 66 mph at 0428 MST; Saint Mary 9N 65 mph at 0500 MST; and Pendroy 18W 58 mph at 1120 MST.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 19, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent Plains on the 19th.Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 19th, and began to decrease in intensity during the early afternoon hours.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cut Bank 60 mph at 0200 MST; Pendroy 18W 60 mph at 0400 MST; Dupuyer 60 mph at 0400 MST; Choteau 66 mph at 0428 MST; Saint Mary 9N 65 mph at 0500 MST; and Pendroy 18W 58 mph at 1120 MST.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 19, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent Plains on the 19th.Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 19th, and began to decrease in intensity during the early afternoon hours.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cut Bank 60 mph at 0200 MST; Pendroy 18W 60 mph at 0400 MST; Dupuyer 60 mph at 0400 MST; Choteau 66 mph at 0428 MST; Saint Mary 9N 65 mph at 0500 MST; and Pendroy 18W 58 mph at 1120 MST.

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: November 19, 12:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

A high wind event occurred over the northern Rocky Mountain Front and the northern adjacent Plains on the 19th.Winds picked up in intensity during the early morning hours of the 19th, and began to decrease in intensity during the early afternoon hours.Here is a list of some peak wind speeds recorded:Cut Bank 60 mph at 0200 MST; Pendroy 18W 60 mph at 0400 MST; Dupuyer 60 mph at 0400 MST; Choteau 66 mph at 0428 MST; Saint Mary 9N 65 mph at 0500 MST; and Pendroy 18W 58 mph at 1120 MST.

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 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 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: 5322879, 5322880, 5322881, 5322882.