Montana, 2003

High Wind in Montana, April 9, 2003

April 9, 2003 · NWS TFX · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A high wind event occurred over a portion of North Central Montana on the 9th. The winds were strongest over the Rocky Mountain Front during the mid to late morning hours.

The toll

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 happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

A high wind event occurred over a portion of North Central Montana on the 9th. The winds were strongest over the Rocky Mountain Front during the mid to late morning hours. The winds began to diminish in intensity during the evening hours.Here is a list of some of the peak wind speeds reported:Lincoln 25N 86 mph at 0200 MST; Babb 82 mph at 1430 MST; Pendroy 1S 67 mph at 1645 MST; Browning 66 mph at 1600 MST; Cut Bank 62 mph at 1532 MST; East Glacier 2E 61 mph at 1645; Belt 9N 61 mph at 1500; and Sweet Grass 58 mph at 1550.

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 Apr 9, 2:00 AM MST, 6 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 9, 2:00 AM MST, 6 hours before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
300 AM MDT WED APR 9 2003

.SHORT TERM...THE UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE AXIS IS MOVING
EAST OF THE STATE. UPPER LEVEL FLOW HAS SWITCHED TO THE SOUTHWEST
AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE SHORT WAVE MOVING THROUGH THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST. MOISTURE IS RESTRICTED TO A NARROW BAND AHEAD OF THE
SHORT WAVE...AND MOST MOISTURE WILL BE IN CANADA AND DYNAMICS ARE
ALSO ALL IN CANADA. WINDS ACROSS THE NORTH AND CENTRAL ZONES WILL BE
STRONG AND GUSTY AS THE SHORT WAVE MOVES THROUGH. THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT APPEARS THE BEST CHANCE FOR HIGH WINDS...HOWEVER THEY SHOULD
NOT BE LONG-LASTING OR WIDESPREAD AND WILL NOT ISSUE ANY HIGH
LIGHTS. TEMPS WILL BE TRICKY TODAY...A WARM START THIS MORNING WITH
STRONG WEST WINDS BUT WITH AN AIRMASS THAT IS COOLING. THE RIDGE
BUILDS BEHIND THE SHORT WAVE AND REMAINS OVER THE ZONES THROUGH
FRIDAY. ZELZER

.EXTENDED...UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE OFF THE WEST COAST WILL DIG
SOUTH OVER THE WEEKEND...PUTTING MONTANA IN A STRONG SOUTHERLY FLOW.
SATURDAY WILL BE VERY WARM WITH A CHANCE OF AFTERNOON THUNDERSTORMS
AS SEVERAL WEAK DISTURBANCES ROTATE AROUND THE LOW. SURFACE LOW
PRESSURE DEVELOPS IN MONTANA BY SUNDAY AND LINGERS THROUGH TUESDAY
WITH A SERIES OF DISTURBANCES PASSING BY...CREATING SHOWERY
CONDITIONS WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL. JCA

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NB 068/035 067/037 067 13---
    BEEEE 037/069 035/058 035/055 036/055 --03333333
CTB NE 063/031 063/034 063 1310-
    BEENE 034/066 033/054 031/051 033/052 1-03333333
HLN BB 070/036 069/036 068 13---
    BEEEE 037/068 035/060 034/057 034/056 0003333333
BZN BB 065/030 067/032 068 130-0
    BEEEE 032/069 032/057 030/055 033/054 0003333333
WEY BB 051/020 052/020 054 13000
    BEEEE 027/058 025/049 023/046 026/047 0003344443
DLN BB 065/033 065/033 064 13000
    BEEEE 034/066 032/055 031/052 031/052 00-3333333
HVR BB 072/032 069/036 068 13-0-
    BEEEE 037/069 035/058 032/059 039/058 --03333333
LWT BB 069/034 066/034 066 13---
    BEEEE 037/068 035/057 032/053 034/053 --03333333

.TFX...NONE.
Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 9, 5:10 AM MST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
MTZ008>015-044>055-100010-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
610 AM MDT WED APR 9 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

NO WATCHES, WARNINGS, OR ADVISORIES CURRENTLY IN EFFECT

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

Event by event

5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
April 9, 8:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When
April 9, 9:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Toole

When
April 9, 2:13 PM MST
Where
Toole forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Cascade

When
April 9, 2:40 PM MST
Where
Cascade forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When
April 9, 4:12 PM MST
Where
Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2003

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: 5348103, 5348104, 5348105, 5348106, 5348107.