High Wind in Montana, November 18, 2003

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 18, 2003
Start: 2003-11-18T04:48
End: 2003-11-18T14:40
Location: Montana

November 18, 2003 · NWS TFX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A high wind event occurred over a large portion of North Central Montana during daylight hours of the 18th. Wind gusts from 90 to 100 mph were recorded along the Northern Rocky Mountain front.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 large portion of North Central Montana during daylight hours of the 18th. Wind gusts from 90 to 100 mph were recorded along the Northern Rocky Mountain front. Power outages were reported throughout the area as well as minor damage to various structures. A semi tractor-trailer was blown off of Highway 200 and the eastbound Amtrak passenger train was delayed for several hours due to the high winds.Peak wind speeds reported include: 100 mph at Browning, 94 mph at the Choteau Airport, 78 mph at Choteau 2E, 72 mph at Babb 25NW, 64 mph at the NWS office in Great Falls, 63 mph at MacDonald Pass, 62 mph at Del Bonita, and 60 mph at Sweetgrass.

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, 2:51 AM MST, 1 hour 57 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 18, 2:51 AM MST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
251 AM MST TUE NOV 18 2003

.DISCUSSION...

TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...FOCUS OF FORECAST IS ON POTENTIAL FOR
DAMAGING WINDS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. RECENT MODEL RUNS
HAVE ACCELERATED THE EASTWARD PROGRESSION OF STRONG WINDS AND HAVE
ALSO INCREASED THE STRENGTH OF THE WINDS ALOFT. THE THREAT FOR
DAMAGING GUSTS WILL BEGIN MID-MORNING AND END AROUND DUSK. UPSTREAM
SOUNDINGS AT BOTH SPOKANE AND KELOWNA FROM 5 PM LAST NIGHT SHOW
TREMENDOUS INVERSION BETWEEN 500 AND 600 MB WHICH GIVES SOME
CONFIDENCE TO THIS FORECAST. AS INVERSION DESCENDS THIS MORNING
WINDS WILL INCREASE. I WILL POST A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ZONES
BORDERING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT WARNING CURRENTLY IN EXISTENCE.
THIS IS WITH SOME RESERVATIONS FOR CASCADE COUNTY THOUGH AS 60 MPH
WINDS RARELY OCCUR IN GREAT FALLS UNDER A WARM ADVECTION REGIME.
THERE HAVE BEEN EXCEPTIONS TO THIS RULE AND TODAY MAY WELL BE ONE OF
THEM WITH 80 MPH WINDS BELOW 700 MB. WARNING FOR SOUTHERN LEWIS AND
CLARK COUNTY WILL BE ISSUED TO COVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES ONLY...THE
HELENA VALLEY IS NOT UNDER THE GUN. MOUNTAIN TOPS OF THE SOUTHWEST
WILL GET BLASTED LATER TODAY ALSO...BUT POPULATED AREAS WILL REMAIN
WELL BELOW WARNING CRITERIA. WINDS SUBSIDE TONIGHT BEFORE EMERGING
AGAIN TOMORROW. SO WILL LEAVE THE WARNING OUT THROUGH TOMORROW EVEN
THOUGH TONIGHTS WINDS WILL BE BELOW CRITERIA.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WINDS DROP OFF QUICKLY AS COLD FRONT PUSHES IN
FROM THE NORTH. MANY FACTORS COMING TOGETHER FOR WIDESPREAD PRECIP
SO HAVE GOTTEN A FOOT IN THE DOOR WITH SOME 20-50% POPS MAINLY AFTER
MIDNIGHT. POMEROY

THURSDAY...COLD FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH ACROSS THE AREA DROPPING
TEMPERATURES AND GENERATING SOME PRECIPITATION.

FRIDAY AND SATURDAY...MUCH COLDER AIR PUSHES INTO THE AREA AS STRONG
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES SOUTH OUT OF CANADA. SATURDAY LOOKS TO
BE THE COLDEST DAY. SCATTERED SNOW WILL CONTINUE BOTH DAYS. 08

SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY...ARCTIC AIRMASS TO REMAIN THROUGH PERIOD.
HOWEVER...SLOW WARMUP ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY WITH WEAK DOWNSLOPE
GRADIENTS IS POSSIBLE. BUT LIKELY TO REMAIN COLD IN THE SOUTHWEST.
THUS LOWER TEMPERATURES AT LEAST A FEW DEGREES ALL AREAS. IT SHOULD
REMAIN DRY AS A WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER
THE AREA...ESPECIALLY PER ECMWF MODEL. WILLIAMSON DC

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NN 056/045 061/027 028 19000
    BEEBB 023/023 008/015 903/016 012/029 020 43344300000
CTB NN 052/041 055/018 025 19000
    EEEBB 014/015 005/012 906/011 008/030 016 43444300000
HLN EB 055/037 057/028 034 19000
    BEEBB 019/020 006/014 004/023 004/025 011 43344300000
BZN EB 050/034 053/030 033 19000
    BEEEB 018/019 902/008 000/018 904/022 006 43344300000
WEY EU 040/023 043/022 031 19110
    BEEEB 012/017 903/006 915/020 915/020 909 54344331000
DLN EB 051/032 051/029 033 19000
    BEEBB 019/024 004/012 006/019 903/022 012 53344300000
HVR NN 055/038 059/026 031 19000
    BEEBB 020/021 004/014 906/011 002/022 012 30344300000
LWT EN 053/041 061/029 032 19000
    BEEBB 021/022 006/015 005/022 005/028 012 42344300000

.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA
       TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 11:00 AM MST, 17 hours 48 minutes before

MTZ008>015-044>055-182310-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1100 AM MST MON NOV 17 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT
AND PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. PLEASE REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT ABOVE 5000 FEET. PLEASE REFER TO GTFWSWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND
GLACIER COUNTY TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING. PLEASE
REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA
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

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 18, 4:48 AM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Toole

When: November 18, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 18, 8:28 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: November 18, 8:40 AM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: November 18, 8:40 AM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 18, 9:40 AM MST to 10:40 AM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: November 18, 9:59 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Chouteau

When: November 18, 10:30 AM MST to 11:30 AM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Cascade

When: November 18, 11:03 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Judith Basin

When: November 18, 1:30 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Blaine

When: November 18, 2:40 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

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: 5331651, 5331656, 5331652, 5331655, 5331657, 5331653, 5331658, 5331660, 5331654, 5331661, 5331659.