Strong southwest wind gusts of 40 to 50 MPH, caused power lines and trees to fall in the North Valley near Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Wind gusts up to 52 MPH occurred at Hungry Horse and Angel Point around Flathead Lake.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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.
The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.
Strong southwest wind gusts of 40 to 50 MPH, caused power lines and trees to fall in the North Valley near Whitefish and Columbia Falls. Wind gusts up to 52 MPH occurred at Hungry Horse and Angel Point around Flathead Lake. Small grass fires were started from downed power lines near Creston, Coram and Columbia Falls. Several downed trees blocked traffic in Columbia Falls.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 18, 8:40 AM MST, 2 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
840 AM MST THU MAR 18 2004
.DISCUSSION...COLD FRONT QUICKLY MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
THIS MORNING. LOW PRESSURE SURFACE TROUGH IN LEE OF CASCADES CAUSING
SOUTH WINDS TO INCREASE AT GRANGEVILLE...IN LINE WITH CURRECT
ADVISORY. WINDY CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES
THIS AFTERNOON AS COLD FRONT MOVES CLOSER. SOUTHWEST FLOW WILL ALSO
RESULT IN A WARM DAY AND TEMPERATURES MAY RISE HIGHER THAN FORECAST.
MAIN FORECAST CONCERN FOR THIS EVENING IS GUSTY WINDS WITH FRONTAL
PASSAGE...MAY CONSIDER EXPANDING ADVISORY INTO MONTANA EARLY TONIGHT.
NO UPDATES PLANNED THIS MORNING.
&&
.PREVIOUS DISCUSSION...TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...SHALLOW UPPER-LEVEL
TROUGH...A STRONG POLAR JET STREAK...AND ASSOCIATED SURFACE FRONT ON
TRACK TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA TODAY. SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL
BUILD AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM BRINGING BREEZY CONDITIONS TO MOST
AREAS...PARTICULARLY NORTHERN MONTANA AND ON THE IDAHO CAMAS PRAIRIE.
INSTABILITY MAY ALLOW A FEW THUNDERSTORMS TO DEVELOP NORTHWEST
MONTANA. IN ADDITION...A PRE-FRONTAL THERMAL RIDGE WILL SET UP
TODAY BRINGING UNSEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES. ON FRIDAY..A STRONG
WEST-TO-EAST ALIGNED JET WILL REMAIN NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER...
DRIVING MAINLY MOUNTAIN PRECIPITATION IN NORTHWEST MONTANA AND
KEEPING THIS SAME REGION BREEZY. BY SATURDAY A PACIFIC TROUGH WILL
BEGIN TO DIG (DEEPEN)...THUS PRODUCING ANOTHER RIDGE OVER
INTERMOUNTAIN WEST AND WILL ALLOW WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS.
SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BE
BUILDING OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AS A STRONG UPPER LOW PRESSURE
SYSTEM REMAINS OVER THE EASTERN PAC OCEAN. A RATHER STRONG SURFACE
HIGH WILL SLIDE DOWN THE FRONT RANGE KEEPING TEMPERATURES ON THE COOL
SIDE SUNDAY MORNING. THEN WARMER AIR SURGES NORTHWARD AS A THERMAL
TROUGH DEVELOPS ACROSS ID SUNDAY AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION TRENDS LOOK
DRY UNTIL MONDAY WHEN A WEAK PAC FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA
FOLLOWED BY SLIGHT COOLING. BEYOND THIS TIME FRAME SOME
INCONSISTENCIES DEVELOP IN THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS. THE PAC UPPER LOW
WILL BEGIN TO DRIFT EASTWARD TOWARD THE COAST THROUGH THURSDAY. A
LARGE POLAR VORTEX ACROSS NORTHERN CANADA IS HANDLED A LITTLE
DIFFERENTLY. THE MRF IS MORE ENERGETIC TO BRING ARCTIC AIR DOWN TO
OUR NORTHERN BORDER BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT...WHILE THE ECMWF AND UKMET
HOLD IT WELL NORTH. FORECAST TRENDS WILL BE MODEST COOLING NEXT WEEK
(BACK TO NORMAL CLIMATOLOGY) AND WEST TO SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT FOR
POTENTIAL PRECIPITATION.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...NONE.
ID...WIND ADVISORY LATE THIS MORNING THROUGH THIS EVENING FOR
PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...
&&
DISCUSSION/SIGLER
PREV DISCUSSION/MWJ/BOLDTHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT 600 AM MST (500 AM PST) THU MAR 18 2004 IDZ005-006-009-010-MTZ001>007-043-191300- NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS- WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION- WEST GLACIER REGION-FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-LOWER CLARK FORK REGION- MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS-BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS- BUTTE/PINTLAR REGION-BLACKFOOT REGION- 600 AM MST (500 AM PST) THU MAR 18 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA .DAY ONE... TODAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. IDZ007-008-191300- OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER- 500 AM PST THU MAR 18 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO .DAY ONE... TODAY STRONG SOUTH WINDS WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA TODAY...ESPECIALLY IN EXPOSED VALLEYS AND ACROSS THE CAMAS PRAIRIE. A WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT...PLEASE REFER TO GTFNPWMSO FOR DETAILS. A VIGOROUS PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION BY EARLY THIS EVENING. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE AND SHIFT TO THE WEST BEHIND THE FRONT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2004
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: 5387733, 5387734.