Another in a series of low pressure systems crossed Alberta, accompanied by strong Chinook winds along and east of the Rocky Mountain Front across northern and central Montana. Several measured wind gusts over 80 mph were reported, with at least two over 100 mph.
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.
Another in a series of low pressure systems crossed Alberta, accompanied by strong Chinook winds along and east of the Rocky Mountain Front across northern and central Montana. Several measured wind gusts over 80 mph were reported, with at least two over 100 mph.
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 Nov 15, 4:50 PM MST, 40 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 450 PM MST WED NOV 15 2006 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...HIGH MODEL CONFIDENCE IS EVIDENT IN THE SHORT TERM. BOTH NAM AND GFS SHOW UPPER LEVEL RIDGE CURRENTLY OVER THE FORECAST AREA MOVING QUICKLY TO THE EAST THIS EVENING...FOLLOWED BY INTENSE ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. WARM AIR ADVECTION AT THE MID LEVELS HAS ALREADY BEGUN AHEAD OF A VIGOROUS UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DEVELOPING OFF THE COAST OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST...WITH SNOW LEVELS ANTICIPATED TO STEADILY RISE THROUGHOUT WEDNESDAY EVENING AND OVERNIGHT PERIOD. STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS WILL BECOME EVIDENT AT THE SURFACE THIS EVENING ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT NORTHERN PLAINS. EVEN STRONGER MID LEVEL WINDS FROM THE WEST WILL MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH DANGEROUSLY STRONG GUSTS ALONG THE NORTHERN PORTION OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT NORTHERN PLAINS. MEANWHILE...THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO THE WEST WILL MOVE QUICKLY TO THE EAST AND ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA DURING THE PRE DAWN HOURS THURSDAY. SNOW LEVELS WILL PEAK DURING THIS TIME...WITH THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION SHORTLY THEREAFTER OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND HIGHER MOUNTAIN PEAKS ACROSS THE SOUTHERN RANGES. A RAIN AND SNOW MIX WILL BE PRESENT INITIALLY...WITH SNOW LEVELS RAPIDLY FALLING BY SUNRISE. WIND WILL BE THE MAIN CONCERN ACROSS THE NORTHERN PLAINS...WITH PRECIPITATION OVER THE PLAINS UNLIKELY DUE WEAK NEAR SURFACE FORCING DURING THURSDAY MORNING. THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS EXPECTED TO CLEAR THE FORECAST AREA BY MIDDAY THURSDAY...WITH MOUNTAIN SNOWS QUICKLY TAPERING OFF THURSDAY EVENING. WINDS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT NORTHERN PLAINS WILL DIMINISH OVERNIGHT THURSDAY AS UPPER LEVEL RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE REGION BY FRIDAY MORNING. ZUMPFE FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...THE PERIOD STARTS OUT GENERALLY DRY WITH A ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. PRECIPITATION WILL BE CONFINED TO THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. A SERIES OF SURFACE LOWS WILL TRACK ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA DURING THE PERIOD PROVIDING A STRONG DOWNSLOPE GRADIENT FOR GUSTY WINDS. THE STRONGEST WINDS ARE LIKELY TO OCCUR MONDAY MORNING. SOME SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE MONDAY NIGHT AS HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS IN BEHIND THE SURFACE LOW PASSAGE AND THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES SOUTHWEST BRINGING IN MORE MOISTURE. TUESDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MODELS IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT DURING THIS PERIOD. A WEAK PACIFIC COLD FRONT MOVES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA EARLY TUESDAY...ALONG WITH AN ASSOCIATED UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE. A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SETS UP BEHIND THE SYSTEM. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS ARE EXPECTED...SNOW SHOWERS WILL BE MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWESTERN MOUNTAINS. DOWNSLOPE WINDS SHOULD HELP KEEP THE PLAINS MOSTLY DRY...WITH ONLY A FEW SHOWERS EXPECTED OVER THE CENTRAL PLAINS. TEMPERATURES SHOULD COOL TO NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES. EK AVIATION... UPDATED 2350Z. EXPECT GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS. THERE WILL BE SOME MOUNTAIN OBSCUREMENT NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IN ADVANCE OF A COLD FRONT WHICH WILL MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA FROM 12Z TO 18Z THU. FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE SWITCH TO WESTERLY WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT. IN ADVANCE OF THE FRONT FOR TONIGHT EXPECT SW WINDS TO CONTINUE OVER THE PLAINS AND THEY WILL PROBABLY INCREASE OVERNIGHT AS STRONGER WINDS ALOFT MOVE INTO THE AREA. AM NOT TOTALLY CONFIDENT THE SURFACE WINDS WILL INCREASE AFTER MIDNIGHT BUT FEEL THERE IS A BETTER CHANCE THEY WILL INCREASE THAN DECREASE. BEWARE OF SUDDEN WIND SPEED JUMPS OF 10 TO POSSIBLY 20 KNOTS LATER TONIGHT UNTIL FRONTAL PASSAGE. CEILINGS WILL GENERALLY BE NEAR OR ABOVE 15,000 FT AGL BUT COULD SEE LOWER...BUT STILL VFR...CEILINGS OVER SW MT ALONG WITH SOME RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS. IN CONTRAST TO MONDAY NIGHTS SYSTEM OVER SW MT AM NOT EXPECTING MUCH IN THE WAY OF MVFR OR IFR CONDITIONS AS THE AIRMASS WILL NOT BE AS UNSTABLE. VERY DRY AIR ALOFT WILL MOVE EAST OVER THE AREA LATER TONIGHT INTO THU MORNING IN ADVANCE OF THE COLD FRONT. ONE AREA WHERE THE MODELS DIFFER CLOUDWISE IS OVER N CENTRAL MT FOR THU AFTERNOON. ONE MODEL INDICATES THE POSSIBILITY OF CEILINGS IN THE 6,000 TO 7,000 FT RANGE WHILE THE OTHER INDICATES THERE WILL BE NO CEILINGS. HAVE OPTED FOR THE FORMER OVER THE LATTER. BLANK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 38 50 24 45 / 10 0 0 0 CTB 32 46 19 42 / 10 10 0 0 HLN 33 49 22 42 / 30 20 0 0 BZN 32 51 22 43 / 20 20 0 0 WEY 22 36 15 30 / 50 60 40 20 DLN 32 47 21 41 / 20 20 0 0 HVR 33 53 20 46 / 20 10 0 0 LWT 34 51 23 45 / 20 10 0 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM MST THURSDAY FOR MTZ009-010-012-044- 046-048-049. && SHORT TERM...ZUMPFE AVIATION/LONG TERM...ZELZER WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 212 PM MST WED NOV 15 2006 MTZ009-010-012-044-046-048-049-161515- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-CASCADE-TOOLE- EASTERN PONDERA-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON- 212 PM MST WED NOV 15 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS HAS ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 AM MST THURSDAY. STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 65 MPH ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP THIS AFTERNOON ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS. STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW WILL DEVELOP OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE THIS AFTERNOON AND CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT. SNOW LEVELS OF 6500 FEET THIS EVENING WILL DROP TO 5000 FEET BY MORNING. 4 TO 8 INCHES SNOW ACCUMULATION EXPECTED ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ABOVE 6000 FEET BY THURSDAY MORNING. LOCALLY HIGHER SNOW AMOUNTS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER MOUNTAINS. STRONG WINDS AND SNOW WILL CAUSE AREAS WHERE VISIBILITIES WILL DROP BELOW ONE-HALF MILE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...THEN GRADUALLY DIMINISH THURSDAY AFTERNOON. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-011-013>015-045-047-050>055-161515- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK- MADISON-LIBERTY-BLAINE-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER- MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 212 PM MST WED NOV 15 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 IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY 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.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A gust to 91 mph was reported at Heart Butte. Other reports include a gust to 88 mph near East Glacier Park, a gust to 78 mph at Browning, and a gust to 82 mph near Babb.
A gust to 51 mph was reported at Sweetgrass.
A wind gust of 116 mph was reported at Pendroy 18WNW at 1215 AM on November 16th. Other reports include a gust to 65 mph at Choteau 2SW and 96 mph at Pendroy 18W.
A gust to 62 mph was reported at Farmington.
An 82 mph wind gust was measured at the Blackfeet Agrimet site. Also, a 78 mph peak gust was measured at Cut Bank ASOS at 1115 pm.
A gust to 63 mph was reported at Valier 8S.
A gust to 60 mph was reported near White Sulfur Springs. The high winds also lifted, carried, and destroyed a 40 foot by 42 foot airplane hanger.
A gust to 62 mph was reported at Belt 7N. Also a gust to 52 mph was reported at Malmstrom AFB at 1210 am.
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, November 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: 5713, 5740, 5751, 5754, 5860, 5867, 5870, 5873.