High Wind in Montana, November 17, 2003

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 17, 2003
Start: 2003-11-17T05:21
End: 2003-11-17T05:21
Location: Montana

November 17, 2003 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A wind gust of 58 mph occurred at the Deep Creek RAWS site.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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 wind gust of 58 mph occurred at the Deep Creek RAWS site.

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 17, 3:11 AM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 3:11 AM MST, 2 hours 10 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
311 AM MST MON NOV 17 2003

.DISCUSSION...

TODAY...WINDY TIMES AHEAD FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. STRONG WINDS
ALOFT DID NOT MIX TO THE SURFACE OVERNIGHT BUT THIS WILL CHANGE AFTER
SUNRISE. WHETHER HIGH WIND CRITERIA IS MET OVER THE PLAINS MAY DEPEND
ON JUST HOW WARM IT GETS. WARMER TEMPS WILL MEAN MORE EFFICIENT
MIXING OF THE STRONG WINDS JUST OFF THE SURFACE. PRESSURE RISES
FORECAST TO BE 1 TO 2 MB/HR THIS AFTERNOON WHICH MAY BE ENOUGH TO
FORCE A FEW 60 MPH GUSTS TO THE SURFACE. WITH REGARD TO THE WINTER
STORM WARNING OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...WILL LET IT CONTINUE.
RADAR LIT UP OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES...BUT WE ARE STILL IN THE DARK
AS TO WHAT EXACTLY IS HAPPENING THERE. AS REPORTS COME IN THIS
MORNING...DAY SHIFT WILL HAVE A BETTER IDEA ON HOW TO HANDLE THIS
HIGHLIGHT. OVER THE SOUTHWEST...SNOW WILL REMAIN MOSTLY CONFINED TO
HIGHER ELEVATIONS.

TONIGHT...FLOW ALOFT BACKS AS RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD. ASSOCIATED
DRIER AIR MASS WILL CAUSE AN END TO MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS EXCEPT IN
GLACIER PARK WHERE MOISTURE WILL RIDE OVER THE RIDGE.

TUESDAY...WARM FRONT BLASTS THROUGH THE REGION BY MID-DAY. THIS
WILL LEAD TO SOME DANGEROUSLY STRONG WINDS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WILL PUT OUT THE WARNING FOR
GLACIER COUNTY/SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT ZONES AND BEEF UP
WORDING. WILL LEAVE WATCH ELSEWHERE. THIS EVENT WILL BE DRIVEN BY
WARM AIR ADVECTION...SO HIGH WINDS MAY BE SPOTTY OVER THE PLAINS.
PRECIP CONTINUES OVER GLACIER PARK...BUT SNOW LEVELS WILL RISE ABOVE
MARIAS PASS.

TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...WINDS MAY SUBSIDE SLIGHTLY AS RIDGE
STRENGTHENS A LITTLE. THE INCREASED RIDGING WILL MAKE WEDNESDAY THE
WARMEST DAY OF NOVEMBER ACROSS THE CWA. RAIN/SNOW WILL CONTINUE IN
GLACIER PARK. POMEROY

WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...SOME CHANGES IN THE OFFING DURING
THE EXTENDED PERIOD. UPPER TROF APPROACHES NORTHWEST MONTANA
WEDNESDAY NIGHT WITH BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE WESTERN
MOUNTAINS. ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW PROVIDING DOWNSLOPE WINDS OVER THE
PLAINS. THURSDAY FINDS A SURFACE FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE AREA.
MODERATE WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS BUT ENOUGH INSTABILITY GENERATED WITH
FRONTAL PASSAGE FOR A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION. STRONG PUSH OF HIGH
SURFACE PRESSURE INTO THE AREA FRIDAY BRINGING A SURGE OF COLD AIR
AND WIDESPREAD SNOW. COLD AIR CONTINUES TO PUSH INTO THE AREA
SATURDAY WITH SNOW CHANCES CONTINUING. SUNDAY LOOKS DRY AS COLD AIR
PUSHES EAST AND AWAY FROM THE AREA. MONDAY ALSO DRY WITH MODERATING
TEMPERATURES AND A LEE SIDE TROF DEVELOPING.

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NN 047/035 055/046 059 19100
    NBEEB 031/041 028/029 009/025 010/028 010 00033443000
CTB NN 045/031 055/041 057 19100
    NEEEB 030/038 019/023 006/022 007/025 007 00034443000
HLN NB 044/031 053/035 057 194-0
    BBEEB 027/047 024/028 007/024 008/027 008 00033443000
BZN EB 042/025 050/030 053 19412
    NBEEE 024/047 023/025 901/018 000/021 000 00033443000
WEY JE 035/016 040/019 043 19842
    UBEEE 018/044 017/025 902/016 901/019 901 10043443000
DLN JE 041/030 049/032 051 19532
    BBEEB 030/046 024/032 005/022 006/025 006 00033443000
HVR NN 047/029 052/033 059 19200
    NBEEB 032/047 025/027 005/024 004/026 006 000-3443000
LWT NN 045/031 051/041 059 19200
    NBEEE 030/048 026/028 007/025 009/028 009 00023443000

.TFX...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT ABOVE 5500
       FEET TODAY.
       HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT
       PLAINS TODAY.
       HIGH WIND WARNING FOR GLACIER COUNTY/SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN
       FRONT TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY.
       HIGH WIND WATCH FOR MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA TUESDAY
       THROUGH WEDNESDAY.

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 16, 8:00 PM MST, 9 hours 21 minutes before

MTZ008>015-044>055-171310-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
800 PM MST SUN NOV 16 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY FOR THE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT ABOVE 5500 FEET. PLEASE REFER TO GTFWSWTFX FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY FOR THE
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT BELOW 5500 FEET AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS. PLEASE
REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY

A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND AND
THE HELENA VALLEY FOR TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY. PLEASE REFER TO
GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 17, 5:21 AM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 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

Every storm in Montana in 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 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: 5331648.