Deep surface low pressure moved across southern Canada and was responsible for strong gusty winds over a portion of North Central Montana. Sustained winds in excess of 40 mph and gusts exceeding 60 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.
Deep surface low pressure moved across southern Canada and was responsible for strong gusty winds over a portion of North Central Montana. Sustained winds in excess of 40 mph and gusts exceeding 60 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 Jan 9, 4:55 PM MST, 50 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 455 PM MST TUE JAN 9 2007 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...COUNTY WARNING AREA ABOUT TO BE INFLUENCED BY A COUPLE OF SURFACE FRONTS. WEAK UPPER RIDGE OVER THE AREA TODAY GETS FLATTENED AS AN UPPER TROF APPROACHES WESTERN MONTANA TONIGHT. A PACIFIC FRONT WILL MOVE ACROSS THE AREA AROUND DAYBREAK WEDNESDAY. WINDS WILL BE STRONG AND GUSTY PRIOR TO AND WITH THE FRONTS PASSAGE. HAVE ADDED SOME OF THE NORTHERN PLAINS TO A WIND WARNING FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MIDDAY WEDNESDAY. BY WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON...ARCTIC FRONT MOVES SOUTH OUT OF CANADA AS SURFACE LOW DEPARTS TO THE EAST. WINDS SHOULD GO AROUND TO THE NORTH AT THAT TIME AND WILL BE GUSTY FOR A SHORT PERIOD. MOISTURE NOT VERY IMPRESSIVE WITH THIS ARCTIC INTRUSION AND WOULD NOT EXPECT SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SNOW. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE TO COOL THROUGH THE WEEK WITH NIGHTTIME LOWS DROPPING INTO THE TEENS BELOW ZERO. EMANUEL THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...FIRST FORECAST PROBLEM IS HOW TO HANDLE THE UPPER TROUGH OVER THE FORECAST AREA EARLY IN THE PERIOD. MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT IN PLACING AN UPPER LOW OVER THE GREAT BASIN BY THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD WITH AN UPPER TROUGH EXTENDING INTO THE FORECAST AREA. BUT THEY DISAGREE ON HOW FAST THE UPPER TROUGH WILL MOVE EAST. THE ECMWF MODEL IS FASTEST WHILE THE UKMET IS SLOWEST AND THE GFS TAKES A MIDDLE OF THE ROAD APPROACH. SINCE THERE IS A TENDENCY TO SLOW DOWN THE EASTWARD MOVEMENT OF THE UPPER TROUGH FROM YESTERDAYS FORECASTS...WILL HOLD ON TO PRECIPITATION A LITTLE LONGER FROM SW INTO CENTRAL MONTANA THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY. THE NEXT PROBLEM CONCERNS THE POTENTIAL FOR ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD AIR LATER IN THE WEEKEND. MOST OF THE MODELS DO BRING IN ANOTHER SURGE OF COLD AIR BUT THE ECMWF KEEPS THE NEXT SURGE MAINLY EAST OF THE FORECAST AREA. THINK THE ECMWF IS AN OUTLIER SO HAVE DISCOUNTED THEIR FORECAST WARMER TEMPERATURES LATER IN THE PERIOD. LOOKS LIKE THIS SURGE WILL MOVE IN SATURDAY NIGHT OR POSSIBLY SUNDAY. THERE SHOULD BE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR AT LEAST SOME LIGHT SNOW. DUE TO UNCERTAINTY WHEN THE MOISTURE WILL MOVE IN WILL KEEP POPS IN THE SLIGHT CHANCE TO CHANCE RANGE. INHERITED TEMPERATURES THROUGHOUT THE FORECAST PERIOD LOOKED PRETTY GOOD AND ONLY MADE SOME MINOR CHANGES HERE AND THERE. BLANK MONDAY AND TUESDAY...LATEST MODELS AGREE ON A DRY NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT THROUGH THIS PERIOD. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW NORMAL AS COLD DRY AIR IS BROUGHT DOWN FROM CANADA BY A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SAUCIER && .AVIATION... UPDATED 2355Z. AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER MONTANA WILL MOVE EAST AND A LOW PRESSURE TROF OVER THE WEST COAST WILL MOVE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST BY 12Z WEDNESDAY. AN ASSOCIATED LOW PRESSURE CENTER OVER WESTERN CANADA WILL DEEPEN AND MOVE EAST OVER SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND SASKATCHEWAN. THIS WILL CREATE VERY STRONG WINDS OVERNIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING...WINDS IN EXCESS OF 25 KNOTS WITH GUSTS TO OVER 50 KTS ARE EXPECTED OVER NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. THE AIRMASS REMAINS DRY AT LOWER LEVELS AND VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 33 36 -5 0 / 10 30 40 30 CTB 28 32 -10 -3 / 10 30 40 20 HLN 27 35 1 5 / 10 40 40 30 BZN 24 33 0 3 / 10 50 50 40 WEY 22 27 -5 7 / 30 50 50 40 DLN 26 34 3 9 / 10 50 40 30 HVR 18 33 -8 -3 / 10 20 30 20 LWT 27 35 -4 2 / 0 30 40 30 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 11 PM THIS EVENING TO 12 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR MTZ011>014-044>046-049. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 12 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR MTZ009-010-048. && SHORT TERM...EMANUEL LONG TERM...BLANK/SAUCIER AVIATION...ZELZER WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 421 PM MST TUE JAN 9 2007 MTZ009>014-044>046-048-049-101200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE- CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON- 421 PM MST TUE JAN 9 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT TONIGHT THROUGH NOON ON WEDNESDAY FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND MOST OF THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL THEN MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SHIFTING THE BRISK WESTERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...TO A MORE NORTHERLY BEHIND THE FRONT. A LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WILL CAUSE SOME ROADWAYS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. VISIBILITIES MAY ALSO BE REDUCED DUE TO BLOWING SNOW...ESPECIALLY THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. SUB ZERO TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES OF 20 TO 40 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. HOWEVER...WINDS WILL DECREASE BY FRIDAY AND THESE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY MODERATE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-015-047-050>055-101200- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-BLAINE-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON- BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 421 PM MST TUE JAN 9 2007 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 FOR TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT WILL THEN MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE REGION WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT...SHIFTING THE BRISK WESTERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT...TO A MORE NORTHERLY BEHIND THE FRONT. A LIGHT ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL WEDNESDAY THROUGH THURSDAY WILL CAUSE SOME ROADWAYS WILL BECOME SNOW COVERED AND SLIPPERY. VISIBILITIES MAY ALSO BE REDUCED DUE TO BLOWING SNOW...ESPECIALLY THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES. SUB ZERO TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED ACROSS MOST OF THE REGION WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...WITH WIND CHILL TEMPERATURES OF 20 TO 40 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. HOWEVER...WINDS WILL DECREASE BY FRIDAY AND THESE COLD TEMPERATURES WILL SLOWLY MODERATE THROUGH THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A gust to 66 mph was reported at the Two Medicine DOT site.
A gust to 66 mph was reported at the Cut Bank ASOS site.
Sustained winds of 43 mph were reported at the Macdonald Pass DOT site.
A gust to 80 mph was reported at Sunburst 22ENE.
Sustained winds of 49 mph were reported at the Inverness DOT site.
Sustained winds of 49 mph were reported at the Inverness DOT site.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2007
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: 7451, 7452, 7454, 8534, 7453, 7462.