Montana, 2003

High Wind in Montana, March 12 to 13, 2003

March 12 to 13, 2003 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

High winds affected the Northern Rocky Mountain Front and portions of the adjacent plains on the 12th and 13th. Here is a list of some of the peak wind speeds reported:East Glacier 2E 77 mph at1050 MST; East Glacier 2E 72 mph at 1920 MST; Choteau 12N 53 mph sustained wind at 0400 MST.

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 happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

High winds affected the Northern Rocky Mountain Front and portions of the adjacent plains on the 12th and 13th. Here is a list of some of the peak wind speeds reported:East Glacier 2E 77 mph at1050 MST; East Glacier 2E 72 mph at 1920 MST; Choteau 12N 53 mph sustained wind at 0400 MST.

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 Mar 12, 2:20 PM MST, 5 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 12, 2:20 PM MST, 5 hours before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
220 PM MST WED MAR 12 2003

.SHORT TERM...ARCTIC BOUNDARY THAT WREAKED HAVOC ON TEMPERATURES
FORECASTS THE PAST FEW DAYS WILL FINALLY DEPART THE ENTIRE CWA THIS
EVENING...WITH SOUTHWEST WINDS WINNING THE BATTLE. THE WARMEST AIR
IN SOME TIME WILL OVERTAKE THE AREA TOMORROW AS A SURFACE TROUGH
DEVELOPS OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND A FLAT UPPER LEVEL RIDGE BUILDS
OVER MONTANA. THERE WILL BE A PRICE TO PAY THOUGH...AS WINDS WILL
REALLY START TO CRANK UP ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT
PLAINS. WITH STRONG WINDS ALOFT (60-70KTS BETWEEN 750 AND 700MB)
COUPLED WITH A TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT...WILL ISSUE A HIGH
WIND WARNING. HIGH WINDS WILL START THIS EVENING ACROSS THE NORTHERN
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND SPREAD SOUTH AND EAST...AS THE GRADIENT
TIGHTENS AND BETTER MIXING OCCURS AFTER SUNRISE. WINDS GUSTS MAY
EXCEED 75 MPH ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. THE ONLY CHANCE OF
MOISTURE THROUGH TOMORROW WILL BE OROGRAPHIC PRECIP IN THE GLACIER
PARK AREA WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. WITH HIGH FREEZING LEVELS...
PRECIP WILL MOSTLY BE IN THE FORM OF RAIN WITH SNOW CONFINED TO THE
HIGH MOUNTAIN PEAKS.

WINDS SHOULD GENERALLY DECREASE AFTER SUNSET TOMORROW WITH SOME
DECOUPLING TAKING PLACE AS THE SURFACE GRADIENT WEAKENS. WINDS ALOFT
WILL ALSO BEGIN TO WEAKEN. MILD TEMPS WILL CONTINUE FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY...WITH THE FLOW ALOFT BACKING TO THE SOUTHWEST. A FEW
DISTURBANCES COULD PRODUCE SOME SCATTERED SHOWERS FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN IN SOUTHWEST ZONES.
THE FLOW DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE VERY MOIST...HOWEVER THERE WILL BE
INCREASING INSTABILITY. EVEN A FEW RENEGADE THUNDERSTORMS ARE A
SLIGHT POSSIBILITY. DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL KEEP THE PLAINS DRY
FRIDAY...WITH A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS ON SATURDAY AS INSTABILITY
INCREASES AND DOWNSLOPE WINDS WEAKEN SOMEWHAT.  VILLANI

.EXTENDED...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS OFFERING SOME AGREEMENT EARLY IN THE
EXTENDED PERIOD BUT DIVERGE BY DAY 7. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WEAKENS
SUNDAY. SHORT WAVE ENERGY REMAINS NORTH OF THE BORDER. UPPER TROF
SWINGS ACROSS THE AREA MONDAY FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WESTERLY
SURFACE FLOW TUESDAY SHOULD LESSEN CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. UPPER
RIDGE AMPLIFIES OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY WITH THE AXIS
SHIFTING TO WESTERN MONTANA. TEMPERATURES ARE AT THEIR WARMEST
SUNDAY BUT FALL TO SEASONAL AVERAGES MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NE 041/065 045/062 036 16000
    EEEEB 057/031 055/030 046/026 044/028 046 00221133322
CTB NE 037/062 041/059 033 16000
    EEEEB 052/026 051/026 043/024 041/027 045 00220033322
HLN EE 036/062 038/059 033 16000
    CEEEB 054/031 051/029 044/027 043/027 047 22332233322
BZN EE 036/061 037/058 031 16000
    CEEEB 052/029 054/024 045/022 044/022 046 22333333322
WEY EW 027/050 028/048 023 16102
    CEEEB 042/023 047/019 034/016 033/016 038 55443355322
DLN EE 036/058 036/053 032 16000
    CEEEB 049/031 050/024 043/018 042/024 046 22333333322
HVR NE 029/060 034/063 033 16000
    EEEEB 059/031 052/028 043/025 043/027 042 00011133322
LWT NE 038/063 042/062 033 16000
    EEEEB 058/031 053/029 047/027 042/026 045 00221133322

.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT THIS
       EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING.
    ...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT
       PLAINS FOR THURSDAY.
    ...URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY THOUGH SATURDAY FOR THE
       HELENA VALLEY.
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 12, 3:15 PM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes before
MTZ008>015-044>055-130110-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
315 PM MST WED MAR 12 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT FOR TONIGHT. REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND
ADJACENT PLAINS FOR THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
March 12, 7:20 PM MST to March 13, 3:00 PM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When
March 13, 4:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured
46 kt (53 mph) measured sustained
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, March 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: 5345141, 5345142.