High Wind in Montana, March 9, 2006

Name: High Wind in Montana, March 9, 2006
Start: 2006-03-09T09:43
End: 2006-03-09T11:30
Location: Montana

March 9, 2006 · NWS TFX · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A high wind event occurred during the morning hours of the 9th. Reported wind speeds include: a gust to 85 mph at the Logan Pass Visitor Center, a gust to 77 mph at East Glacier Park 8SE, a gust to 63 mph at Dupuyer 2S, a gust to 62 mph at Choteau 1N, a gust to 61 mph at Cut Bank 3SW and Brady 4E, a gust to 60 mph at Sunburst, a gust to 58 mph at East Glacier Park 2E, a gust to 56 mph at East…

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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.

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 Mar 9, 9:28 AM MST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 9, 9:28 AM MST, 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
928 AM MST THU MAR 9 2006

.UPDATE...
COLD FRONT THROUGH MOST OF THE CWA. WILL DROP HIGH TEMPERATURES A
FEW DEGREES OVER ALL ZONES. VERY WINDY OVER ENTIRE CWA AND WILL
CONTINUE HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION
OVER THE SOUTHWEST CONTINUES SO WILL INCREASE POPS OVER SW ZONES
FOR THIS MORNING. REST OF FORECAST ON TRACK. CAMP

&&

.AVIATION...
UPDATED 1145Z.
A STRONG SHORT WAVE TROUGH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA THIS
MORNING. INSTABILITY SNOW SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH WILL
BRING A PERIOD OF MVFR IF NOT IFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN SNOW
TO SW AND CENTRAL MT THIS MORNING. GUSTS OF 30 TO 40 KTS ARE ALSO
POSSIBLE WITH THESE SNOW SHOWERS. FOR THE TAF SITES THE BEST BET FOR
THIS TO OCCUR WILL BE AT KBZN NEAR 13Z WITH OTHER THREATS AT KLWT AND
POSSIBLY KGTF. THE MAIN STORY TODAY WILL BE WIND WITH SUSTAINED
WINDS OF 20 TO 35 KTS WITH LOCAL GUSTS TO 50 KTS OVER THE PLAINS.
AFTER THE TROUGH PASSAGE LATER THIS MORNING EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS AT
THE TAF SITES. MOISTURE ROTATING AROUND AN UPPER LOW IN SASK COULD
BRING A THREAT OF MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN SNOW OR RAIN AT
KHVR INTO THIS EVENING. WINDS WILL GRADUALLY TAPER OFF TONIGHT WITH
SPEEDS LOWERING TO LESS THAN 10 KTS AT MOST LOCATIONS BY LATE
TONIGHT.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 445 AM MST THU MAR 9 2006)

DISCUSSION...
TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY EVENING...GFS AND ETA12 MODELS HAVE
SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERESTIMATED CURRENT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT AND
DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH/SOUTH ORIENTED SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS CENTRAL
MONTANA. SURFACE PRESSURE ANALYSIS SHOWS MUCH STRONGER PRESSURE
GRADIENT FROM JACKSON WY TO HAVRE MT THAN ETA OR GFS MODELS. CURRENT
FORECAST IS REPRESENTATIVE OF ACTUAL PRESSURE GRADIENT...WITH
STRONGER SURFACE WINDS THAN PREDICTED BY LOW LEVEL MODEL WINDS.
HOWEVER...MODEL DEFICIENCIES CORRECTED SOMEWHAT BY MOS WHICH
INDICATES SUSTAINED WINDS THIS AFTERNOON AT CUT BANK OF 35 (GFS) AND
30 (ETA). CURRENT WIND FORECAST...AND HIGH WIND WARNINGS...APPEAR
GOOD...SO NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGES PLANNED TO TODAYS FORECAST. FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY JETSTREAM OFF WEST COAST DIGS FURTHER SOUTH AND TROUGH
ALONG WEST COAST DEEPENS...AS SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA
FILLS AND PRESSURE GRADIENT WEAKENS SIGNIFICANTLY. FOR MONTANA THIS
MEANS WINDS WILL WEAKEN DRAMATICALLY AND SURPRISINGLY LIGHT WINDS
WILL EXIST OVER CENTRAL MONTANA SATURDAY. WITH FEW UPPER LEVEL
DYNAMICS OR DISTURBANCES THE CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION FRIDAY AND
SATURDAY IS REMOTE. TEMPERATURES DURING THIS TIME WILL BE ABOUT 10
DEGREES BELOW SEASONABLE. BRUESKE

SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...MODELS ARE ADVERTISING A
CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN AS A STRONG UPPER TROUGH OVER THE
WESTERN U.S. AT FIRST GIVES WAY TO WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT EARLY NEXT
WEEK. THIS IS A BIG CHANGE FROM WHAT THE MODELS HAD 24 HRS AGO BUT
MODELS ALL PRETTY MUCH AGREE ON THE CHANGE SO FEELING PRETTY
CONFIDENT IT WILL HAPPEN. AREA WILL START OFF UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF
A COOL CANADIAN AIRMASS BUT SHOULD START TO SEE SOME MODERATION IN
TEMPERATURES BY TUESDAY MAINLY ALONG THE EAST SLOPES AND OVER SW MT.
POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR HIGHS IN THE UPPER 30S TO UPPER 40S BUT WILL
TAKE A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH TO RAISING TEMPERATURES. WOULD BE MORE
INCLINED TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE IN RAISING TEMPERATURES IF MODELS HAD
BEEN ADVERTISING PATTERN CHANGE FOR SEVERAL DAYS. DID NOT MAKE ANY
BIG CHANGES TO INHERITED SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE POPS. UPPER TROUGH
WILL BE AFFECTING THE AREA AT FIRST AND THEN COULD SEE SOME
SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY BY TUESDAY IN THE ZONAL FLOW WITH DOWNSLOPE  NOT
LOOKING STRONG ENOUGH AT THIS TIME TO WARRANT A REMOVAL OF THE
MENTION OF PRECIPITATION. BLANK

WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...LATEST LONG RANGE MODELS PREDICT A DEEP LOW
PRESSURE SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BRINING IN PLENTY
OF MOISTURE TO THE REGION. THE AMPLIFIED RIDGE EXTENDING INTO
NORTHERN CANADA IN YESTERDAYS RUN HAS ALL BUT VANISHED...SO LATEST
TEMPERATURES ARE NEAR SEASONAL IN A NEAR ZONAL FLOW. SAUCIER

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  40  19  37  12 /  10  10  10  10
CTB  37  13  31  10 /  20  20  10  10
HLN  41  20  39  14 /  30  20  20  10
BZN  34  12  33   6 /  60  10  10  10
WEY  28  -2  26  -2 /  80  60  20  30
DLN  32  11  31  11 /  40  20  30  20
HVR  38  17  38  12 /  20  10  10  10
LWT  34  15  35  13 /  20  10   0  10

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST THIS MORNING FOR MTZ009-
MTZ048.

HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR MTZ009-
MT010-MTZ044-MTZ046-MTZ048-MTZ049.

&&

UPDATE...CAMP
SHORT TERM...BRUESKE
LONG TERM...BLANK/SAUCIER
AVIATION...BLANK

WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 9, 7:49 AM MST, 1 hour 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
749 AM MST THU MAR 09 2006

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0144 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW CUT BANK           48.60N 112.38W
03/08/2006  M56 MPH          GLACIER            MT   OFFICIAL NWS OBS

            CUT BANK AIRPORT ASOS.

0200 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST SILVER CITY             46.76N 112.17W
03/08/2006  M50 MPH          LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

0206 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 E EAST GLACIER PARK   48.45N 113.18W
03/08/2006  M58 MPH          GLACIER            MT   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            TWO MEDICINE BRIDGE DOT LOCATION.

0215 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST HEART BUTTE             48.29N 112.83W
03/08/2006  M52 MPH          PONDERA            MT   MESONET

            HEART BUTTE RAWS LOCATION.

0615 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 8 SE EAST GLACIER PARK  48.37N 113.10W
03/08/2006  M77 MPH          GLACIER            MT   MESONET

            DEEP CREEK RAWS LOCATION.

1100 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 13 W ST MARY            48.74N 113.71W
03/08/2006  M85 MPH          GLACIER            MT   MESONET

            LOGANS PASS VISITOR CENTER LOCATION.

0445 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 E EAST GLACIER PARK   48.45N 113.18W
03/09/2006  M56 MPH          GLACIER            MT   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            TWO MEDICINE BRIDGE DOT LOCATION.

0635 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 12 W HELENA             46.60N 112.27W
03/09/2006  M53 MPH          LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   DEPT OF HIGHWAYS

            MACDONALD PASS DOT LOCATION.

&&

HERE IS A SUMMARY OF HIGH WIND REPORTS STARTING FROM WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

BRUSDA

Event by event

6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: March 9, 9:43 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

High Wind, Toole

When: March 9, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 9, 10:45 AM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: March 9, 10:45 AM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 9, 11:30 AM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: March 9, 11:30 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 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 2006 Every state in 2006 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5494666, 5494667, 5494665, 5494668, 5494669, 5494670.