High Wind in Montana, December 10 to 11, 2004

Name: High Wind in Montana, December 10 to 11, 2004
Start: 2004-12-10T21:25
End: 2004-12-11T15:00
Location: Montana

December 10 to 11, 2004 · NWS TFX · 13 events in 13 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 wide area of North Central Montana during the late evening hours of the 10th through the afternoon of the 11th. Reported wind speeds include: a gust to 84 mph at Cascade 5S, a gust to 76 mph at Chinook 11S, a gust to 70 mph at St. Mary and Shelby, a gust to 66 mph at Browning, Choteau 8W and Silver City, a gust to 65 mph at Inverness 1NW, a gust to 64 mph at Dupuyer 2S and a gust to 61 mph at Fort Belknap. 60 mph gusts were reported at Cut Bank, Sweet Grass, Choteau 1N, Chester, Fort Benton 4SE, Benchland 4N, Hilger 6N and Helena 10W. Gusts to 58 mph were reported at Cascade 5S and Norris 6N. Many tree limbs and branches were reported downed and an unoccupied house trailer was blown over.

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 Dec 10, 8:50 PM MST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 10, 8:50 PM MST, 35 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MONTANA
850 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

.DISCUSSION...

NO UPDATE PLANNED FOR THIS EVENING. WIND CONTINUES AS THE MAIN
PLAYER FOR THE NEXT 30 HOURS OR SO. HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES FOR
THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT EASTERN GLACIER
COUNTY. 00Z ETA MAINTAINS 60-65 KT WINDS AT 700MB THROUGH SATURDAY
MORNING. BOTH ETA AND GFS CONTINUE TO INDICATE BETTER THAN 55 KT
WINDS AT 700MB AS SURFACE LOW MOVES ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA SATURDAY
MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. AS SURFACE LOW MOVES TO THE EAST...
COLD FRONT SWEEPS DOWN OUT OF CANADA SATURDAY AFTERNOON AS SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN. STRONG WINDS SHOULD DECREASE QUICKLY BY
SATURDAY EVENING. EMANUEL

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 240 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN NOW THROUGH SUNDAY
WITH WINDS BEING THE MAIN CONCERN. WINDS WILL INCREASE THROUGH THE
EVENING AND OVERNIGHT AS THE LEE SIDE TROF OVER NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA MOVES EAST AND THE PRESSURE GRADIENT TIGHTENS BEHIND IT.
RAIN AND SNOW WILL PERSIST OVER THE ROCKIES AS WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT
CONTINUES TO PUMP MOISTURE INTO THE AREA. WINDS AT RIDGE LEVEL REACH
70 TO 80 MPH OVERNIGHT AND CONTINUE INTO SATURDAY. MAY SEE SOME OF
THESE WINDS SURFACE ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT OVERNIGHT DUE TO
MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVE. THUS WILL KEEP THE HIGH WIND WARNING GOING
THROUGH TONIGHT. MODELS SHOWING GOOD MIXING TOMORROW ACROSS NORTH
CENTRAL MONTANA. THIS WILL ALLOW THE STRONG WINDS ALOFT TO MIX DOWN.
MODELS INDICATE THIS TO BE SOMETIME DURING THE LATE MORNING HOURS.
THEREFORE WILL ISSUE A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR ALL OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.

THE STRONG SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA SATURDAY AFTERNOON WILL
MOVE EAST OF THE AREA. BEHIND THIS LOW A COLD FRONT WILL DROP INTO
NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA LATE SATURDAY AFTERNOON. WESTERLY WINDS WILL
BECOME NORTHERLY BEHIND THE FRONT. WILL ALSO SEE SOME SCATTERED RAIN
AND SNOW SHOWERS AS THIS SYSTEM PASSES THROUGH. A GOOD DEAL OF
UNCERTAINTY WITH THE CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION WITH THIS SYSTEM. THE
ETA IS WET AND THE GFS IS FAIRLY DRY. WILL TAKE THE MIDDLE ROAD FOR
NOW AND GO WITH HIGH CHANCE POPS WITH THIS SYSTEM.

THE CHANCE FOR SNOW CONTINUES SUNDAY OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA AS THE
FRONTAL SYSTEM STALLS OUT. HIGHS WILL BE ABOUT 20 DEGREES COOLER AND
WINDS WILL BE MUCH LIGHTER. MEIER

SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...THE LONG WAVE PATTERN INDICATES SOME WEAK
BLOCKING SIGNATURES THROUGH THIS PERIOD. THIS REGIME WILL RESULT IN
SLIGHTLY SLOWER PROGRESSION OF SHORT WAVE ENERGY ACROSS THE REGION.
THE GFS AND CANADIAN SEEM TO BE THE MOST CONSISTENT WITH THIS
IDEA...SO WILL USE THEM FOR THIS PERIOD. AS FOR THE SMALL SCALE...A
FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL REMAIN OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN ZONES AS SURFACE
HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS OVER EASTERN MONTANA. ISENTROPIC LIFT AND WEAK
SHORT WAVE ENERGY WILL PROVIDE ENOUGH LIFT FOR SNOW OVER THE
SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. HAVE THEREFORE BUMPED POPS IN THIS AREA INTO
THE LIKELY CATEGORY SUNDAY NIGHT...AND HIGH CHANCE CATEGORY MONDAY.
THE CENTRAL ZONES WILL REMAIN DRY...WITH TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL.
SCHAUMANN

MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BREAKS DOWN AN
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE MONDAY NIGHT AND MOVES SOUTHEAST THROUGH MONTANA
TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY. THE BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION FROM
THIS SYSTEM WILL BE TUESDAY NIGHT AFTER THE PASSAGE OF THE COLD
FRONT WHEN WINDS FROM THE SURFACE TO ALOFT SHIFT MORE NORTHERLY AND
UPSLOPE. AFTER A BRIEF WARMUP AHEAD OF THE FRONT TUESDAY...
TEMPERATURES WILL COOL TO SLIGHTLY BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES
WEDNESDAY. A POSITIVELY TILTED UPPER RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC
NORTHWEST WILL THEN DOMINATE THE WEATHER WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH
FRIDAY...KEEPING THE TFX CWA UNDER A DRY NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. WITH
SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE NORTHERN AND CENTRAL ROCKIES AS
WELL...LIGHT DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL PREVAIL. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS
TIME WILL ALSO WARM TO ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES.  COULSTON

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF NB 047/055 020/035 016 12025
    UBBBU 032/020 041/023 035/022 041/022 045 000012-0000
CTB NU 042/050 014/032 009 12032
    UBBBU 033/016 037/019 034/018 039/018 044 00000200000
HLN EB 038/052 020/034 017 12023
    BBEBB 030/017 036/021 033/018 036/018 039 021-2220000
BZN EB 034/055 021/033 014 12004
    BBEBB 029/013 038/017 033/009 035/010 037 132-2220000
WEY ES 029/036 016/031 010 12116
    EBBBB 028/005 030/010 025/006 026/007 028 55323322-00
DLN EE 037/049 023/034 017 12-23
    BBEBB 031/017 036/018 032/013 034/014 037 3331232-000
HVR NB 040/051 018/034 010 12032
    UBBBU 033/014 036/017 036/012 038/018 042 00000100000
LWT NB 042/053 019/032 012 12025
    UBBBU 030/017 037/021 036/016 038/017 041 0000-2-0000

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
...HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 PM MST SATURDAY FOR MTZ009-010-048...
...HIGH WIND WARNING 6 AM MST SATURDAY THROUGH 3PM MST SATURDAY
   FOR MTZ 011-012-013-044-045-046-047-049-050-051.

&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 10, 4:25 PM MST, 5 hours before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
425 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

MTZ009>010-048--111205-
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-SOUTHERN ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT-...UPDATED
425 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT TONIGHT. PLEASE REFER TO
GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PS MST SATURDAY.
PLEASE REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ011>013-044>047-049>51-111205-
BLAINE-CASCADE-CHOTEAU-TOOLE-EASTERN PONDERA-EASTERN
TETON-FERGUS-HILL-JUDITH BASIN-LIBERTY-...UPDATED
425 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR A PORTION OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

.DAY ONE...THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

A HIGH WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM MST UNTIL 3 PM MST SATURDAY.
PLEASE REFER TO GTFNPWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ008-014>015-052>055-111205-
BEAVERHEAD-SOUTHERN LEWIS AND
CLARK-BROADWATER-GALLATIN-JEFFERSON-MADISON-MEAGHER-...UPDATED
425 PM MST FRI DEC 10 2004

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR A PORTION OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA AND ALL OF 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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

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

13 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: December 10, 9:25 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: December 10, 10:57 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: December 11, 6:34 AM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Cascade

When: December 11, 8:23 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: December 11, 8:50 AM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: December 11, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Toole

When: December 11, 11:58 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Blaine

When: December 11, 12:15 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Chouteau

When: December 11, 2:00 PM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Liberty

When: December 11, 2:00 PM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Judith Basin

When: December 11, 2:45 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Hill

When: December 11, 2:50 PM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Fergus

When: December 11, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Fergus forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 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 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, December 2004

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: 5428395, 5428396, 5428401, 5428398, 5428397, 5428402, 5428400, 5428407, 5428399, 5428404, 5428405, 5428403, 5428406.