High Wind in Montana, March 23, 2003

Name: High Wind in Montana, March 23, 2003
Start: 2003-03-23T00:01
End: 2003-03-23T15:30
Location: Montana

March 23, 2003 · NWS TFX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A high wind event occurred over the Rocky Mountain Front and the Northern adjacent Plains on the 23rd. Here is a list of some of the peak wind speeds reported:Choteau 25NW 61 mph at 0001 MST; Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph from 0800 MST to 1300 MST at Cut Bank, Sunburst, Dupuyer, and Agawam.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 the Rocky Mountain Front and the Northern adjacent Plains on the 23rd. The strongest wind gusts occurred in the Mountain regions, while the adjacent Plains had sustained winds over 40 mph through much of the morning hours.Here is a list of some of the peak wind speeds reported:Choteau 25NW 61 mph at 0001 MST; Sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph from 0800 MST to 1300 MST at Cut Bank, Sunburst, Dupuyer, and Agawam.

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 22, 9:45 AM MST, 14 hours 16 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 22, 9:45 AM MST, 14 hours 16 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
945 AM MST SAT MAR 22 2003

.SHORT TERM...CURRENT FORECAST GENERALLY ON TRACK THIS MORNING...
THOUGH WIND INCREASING ALONG FRONT RANGE THIS MORNING. WILL UPDATE
TO MENTION HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY RATHER THAN THIS AFTERNOON. UPPER
LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL WORK ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA TODAY IN
ADVANCE OF APPROACHING PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE TROUGH. WARM AIR
ADVECTION AND DOWNSLOPE WIND WILL WARM TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES
MORE THAN FRIDAY/S AFTERNOON HIGHS. AT SAME TIME...SOUTHWEST FLOW
ASSOCIATED WITH APPROACHING TROUGH TAPPING INTO SOME SUBTROPICAL
MOISTURE WHICH WILL INCREASE CLOUDINESS. WIND ALONG NORTHERN ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT RANGE ALREADY NEAR HIGH WIND CRITERIA. WILL LEAVE
WARNING IN PLACE THOUGH REWORD TO MENTION STRONG WIND THROUGH TODAY
RATHER THAN JUST THIS AFTERNOON. WIND WILL INHIBIT DEVELOPMENT OF
PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE NORTH. SMALL DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED IN THE
SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON FOR A
CHANCE OF SHOWERS WITH AN ISOLATED THUNDERSTORM POSSIBLE. PACIFIC
TROUGH MOVES THROUGH RAPIDLY SUNDAY...WILL LEAVE HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR NORTHERN FRONT RANGE AND WATCH FOR REMAINDER OF NORTHERN CWA
SUNDAY AS IS FOR NOW. CWA UNDER A COOL NORTHWEST FLOW MONDAY.

.EXTENDED...RUN TO RUN CONSISTENCY CONTINUES TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE
EXTENDED PERIOD...BUT AT LEAST THE GFS AND ECMWF ARE MORE IN LINE
THIS MORNING. A WEAK RIDGE MOVES THROUGH THE STATE ON TUESDAY...FOR
GENERALLY DRY AND WARMER CONDITIONS. A WEAK PACIFIC COLD FRONT ALSO
MOVES ACROSS WESTERN MONTANA...WHICH WILL BRING INCREASING DOWNSLOPE
WINDS TO THE PLAINS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS TO THE MOUNTAINS.
THE FLOW ALOFT GOES MORE WESTERLY FOR WEDNESDAY WITH INCREASING
MOISTURE...BRINGING AN INCREASING CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO THE
MOUNTAINS...WHILE PERSISTENT DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL KEEP THE PLAINS
DRY. COOLER AIR MOVING INTO THE STATE WILL ALSO DROP TEMPERATURES TO
NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES. THE MAJOR CHANGES IN THE MODEL RUNS OCCUR ON
THURSDAY...AS THE GFS AND ECMWF BOTH KEEP AN APPROACHING TROUGH FROM
DIGGING AS MUCH AS PREVIOUS RUNS. CONSEQUENTLY...THE MODELS KEEP THE
SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE DEVELOPING SPLIT FLOW CLOSER TO SOUTHERN
MONTANA...FOR THE BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION THERE. THE TROUGH
FINALLY BEGINS DIGGING OVER THE CENTRAL ROCKIES ON FRIDAY...BUT IT
SHOULD BE FAR ENOUGH SOUTHEAST OF THE CWA THAT THE MAIN CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE ACROSS THE SOUTH. HOWEVER...AS AN
UPPER RIDGE BEGINS MOVING ONSHORE IN THE SYSTEMS WAKE...WEAK
VORTICITY AHEAD OF THE RIDGE SHOULD BRING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION TO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS AS WELL ON FRIDAY.
TEMPERATURES SHOULD ALSO REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES FOR THURSDAY
AND FRIDAY UNDER A MORE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT.  COULSTON

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NN 063/035 051/024 044 07022
    EEEEE 025/051 027/046 024/042 022/040 028 10000000000
CTB NN 059/033 048/023 040 07022
    EEEEE 025/050 027/046 023/042 021/040 028 10000000000
HLN EE 060/032 048/027 046 07344
    ECCEE 027/046 029/045 026/044 024/042 024 22202222200
BZN EE 057/030 046/024 043 07366
    EEEEE 025/045 027/044 023/042 021/040 024 22202222333
WEY OE 046/026 036/010 035 07577
    ECCCC 019/039 021/038 020/034 018/032 019 32203444433
DLN CE 055/031 045/021 040 07455
    ECCEE 024/046 026/044 022/042 020/040 024 21102222333
HVR EN 060/032 050/024 042 07022
    EEEEE 024/047 024/046 024/044 022/042 026 10000000000
LWT NN 060/033 049/024 045 07023
    EEEEE 023/046 024/043 023/038 021/036 022 10000000000

.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY FOR THE ROCKY
       MOUNTAIN FRONT AND EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY.
    ...HIGH WIND WATCH TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY FOR THE ADJACENT
       PLAINS.

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 22, 6:10 AM MST, 17 hours 51 minutes before

MTZ008>015-044>055-230110-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
610 AM MST SAT MAR 22 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT THIS
AFTERNOON AND MOVE ACROSS THE ADJACENT PLAINS TONIGHT. A HIGH WIND
WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND GLACIER COUNTY
FOR THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

STRONG WINDS WILL DEVELOP ACROSS THE NORTH CENTRAL PLAINS SUNDAY.
A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THESE AREAS. PLEASE REFER TO
GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS. OTHERWISE NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS
EXPECTED SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY.

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 23, 12:01 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: March 23, 4:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 23, 4:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: March 23, 9:00 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: March 23, 9:30 AM MST to 3:30 PM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Toole

When: March 23, 10:30 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 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

Every storm in Montana in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings 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: 5345147, 5345143, 5345144, 5345145, 5345146, 5345148.