Surface low pressure moving across southern Alberta combined with high pressure over the Great Basin produced strong winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Sustained winds in excess of 40 mph were common over the area.
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 TFX wrote it up.
Surface low pressure moving across southern Alberta combined with high pressure over the Great Basin produced strong winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Sustained winds in excess of 40 mph were common over the area.
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, 10:44 PM MST, 4 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1044 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006 UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION .UPDATE... MODELS INDICATED A WEAK SHORTWAVE OVER SW MT AT 00Z BUT IT IS HARD TO PICK OUT ANYTHING ON SATELLITE IMAGERY. IN ANY CASE THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW REPORTS OF SNOW OVER SW MT THIS EVENING SO HAVE DECIDED TO LEAVE THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION AS IS. STILL A LITTLE CONCERNED ABOUT FOG IN THE NORTHEAST ZONES BUT AM NOT AS SURE ABOUT DECREASING CLOUDS AS LAST NIGHT SO HAVE DECIDED NOT TO MENTION. MIDNIGHT SHIFT WILL NEED TO REEVALUATE. INCREASED WINDS A LITTLE ALONG A PORTION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT THE REST OF TONIGHT. SPEAKING OF WINDS...EVEN THOUGH THE WRF MODEL HAS DECREASED WINDS SOME FROM EARLIER RUNS...WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. FINALLY ADJUSTED A FEW TEMPERATURES. MAIN CHANGE WAS TO RAISE WEY LOW FROM 0 TO 17. EXPECT TOO MUCH CLOUDINESS THERE TO ALLOW LOWS TO FALL TO NEAR ZERO. BLANK && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0544Z. UPPER LEVEL TROF FROM THE PACIFIC NW THRU THE GREAT BASIN WILL TRACK EAST TO THE ROCKIES TONIGHT WITH MAIN ENERGY PASSING SOUTH OF THE REGION. THIS WILL SPREAD INCREASING CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT WITH SOME LIGHT SNOW SHOWERS POSSIBLE LATER TONIGHT WEST OF THE DIVIDE AND ACROSS SW MT. A PERIOD OF BROKEN MID CLOUDS WILL SPREAD ACROSS NORTHCENTRAL MT OVERNIGHT AS THE TROF MOVES ACROSS THE AREA WITH CLEARING DEVELOPING BEHIND THE TROF MONDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL REMAIN RELATIVELY LIGHT THROUGH TONIGHT WITH INCREASING WINDS AFTER THE TROF PASSAGE ON MONDAY. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...WITH MVFR CONDITIONS PREVAILING AND AREAS OF IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS WEST OF THE DIVIDE AND IN THE VICINITY OF SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE SOUTHERN MOUNTAIN ROUTES TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. ZUMPFE && .PREV DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 227 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006) DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...A BROAD TROF WILL BE MOVING EAST OF THE AREA TONIGHT AND A RATHER WEAK BUT FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE ACROSS THE ROCKIES BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS IS FOLLOWED BY WEAK RIDGING UNTIL MONDAY EVENING. STRONGER WEST FLOW BEGINS TO MOVE OVER THE ROCKIES BY EARLY TUESDAY MORNING AND BEGINS A WINDY PATTERN THROUGH THE WEEK. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND WILL ALSO INCLUDE EASTERN GLACIER DUE TO EXPECTED MIXING DURING THE AFTERNOON. MAIN PRECIP FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL BE ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND INTO SOUTHERN CANADA...WEAK DYNAMICS AND DOWNSLOPE FLOW WILL KEEP PRECIP FROM STRAYING FAR FROM THE MOUNTAINS. ZELZER TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT...A WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST OVER THE AREA DURING THE PERIOD. THE PERIOD WILL ALSO BE BREEZY AS A SERIES OF SURFACE LOW PRESSURE CENTERS WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA PROVIDING FAVORABLE GRADIENTS FOR GUSTY WINDS. DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL KEEP THE PLAINS GENERALLY DRY WITH OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION EXPECTED FOR THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS...ESPECIALLY WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY. WEAKENING FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA LATE FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SLIGHTLY ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY BEFORE COOLING ON FRIDAY. SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...MODELS CONTINUE TO PREDICT A PACIFIC LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING DOWN THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST AND USHERING IN MUCH NEEDED MOISTURE TO MONTANA. COOLER NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED SUNDAY AFTER THE COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. TIMING STILL HAS TO BE NAILED DOWN AT THIS POINT SO KEPT CLOSE TO GUIDANCE WITH ALL PARAMETERS. SAUCIER && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 30 48 37 51 / 10 0 0 0 CTB 27 47 34 46 / 10 0 0 0 HLN 21 41 26 45 / 30 0 0 20 BZN 21 41 20 42 / 40 10 10 30 WEY 17 30 12 30 / 60 20 20 50 DLN 23 40 23 41 / 20 0 10 30 HVR 14 41 23 47 / 0 0 0 0 LWT 25 44 28 47 / 10 0 0 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WATCH FROM MONDAY EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON FOR MTZ009-010-048. && SHORT TERM...BLANK LONG TERM...ZUMPFE AVIATION...ZUMPFE WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 233 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006 MTZ009-010-048-111230- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 233 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A STRONG AND MOIST WESTERLY FLOW FROM THE PACIFIC WILL DEVELOP BY TUESDAY AND CONTINUE THROUGH THE COMING WEEK. THE FIRST IN A SERIES OF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS AND UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCES WILL APPROACH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES TUESDAY...BRINGING STRONG WINDS TO AREAS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS INCLUDING EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY FOR TUESDAY. SEVERAL ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCES WILL TRACK ACROSS THE ROCKIES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...BRINGING ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF VERY WINDY CONDITIONS. THESE SYSTEMS WILL CARRY ENOUGH MOISTURE TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE AND ADDITIONAL WINTER WEATHER AND WIND HIGHLIGHTS MAY BE NEEDED LATER THIS WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ011>014-044>047-049>051-053-054-111230- HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE- LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- BROADWATER-MEAGHER- 233 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY A STRONG WESTERLY FLOW FROM THE PACIFIC WILL DEVELOP OVER THE REGION THIS WEEK...BRINGING PERIODS OF VERY WINDY CONDITIONS TO MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. SEVERAL DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED WITHIN THE WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION THIS WEEK. STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND AGAIN ON FRIDAY AS THESE STRONGER DISTURBANCES PASS THROUGH THE REGION. WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE AND THIS SITUATION IS BEING MONITORED FOR A POSSIBLE HIGH WIND WATCH LATER THIS WEEK. IN ADDITION...PACIFIC MOISTURE IN THE FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING SNOW TO AREAS ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE...HOWEVER DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL KEEP ANY PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS LIGHT ON THE PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-015-052-055-111230- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-JEFFERSON-GALLATIN- 233 PM MST SUN DEC 10 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 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.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sustained wind speeds of 45 mph were reported at the Two Medicine DOT site.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2006
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: 6583.