Montana, 2006

High Wind in Montana, January 17, 2006

January 17, 2006 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A high wind event occurred during the early morning hours of the 17th. Reported wind speeds include a gust to 67 mph at Heart Butte, a gust to 63 mph at the Two Medicine Department of Transportation site, a gust to 61 mph at Highwood and a gust to 56 mph at Browning.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 during the early morning hours of the 17th. Reported wind speeds include a gust to 67 mph at Heart Butte, a gust to 63 mph at the Two Medicine Department of Transportation site, a gust to 61 mph at Highwood and a gust to 56 mph at Browning.

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 Jan 16, 4:40 PM MST, 11 hours 56 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 16, 4:40 PM MST, 11 hours 56 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 16, 1:52 PM MST, 14 hours 44 minutes before
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Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
January 17, 4:36 AM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When
January 17, 8:15 AM MST
Where
Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
58 kt (67 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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2006

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5489367, 5489368.