An upper level trough and strong jet stream moved across Northwest Montana on the evening of 08/27/2008 through 08/29/2008. This resulted in strong winds and gusts in Glacier National Park.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 MSO wrote it up.
An upper level trough and strong jet stream moved across Northwest Montana on the evening of 08/27/2008 through 08/29/2008. This resulted in strong winds and gusts in Glacier National Park.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Aug 27, 3:01 AM MST, 1 hour 59 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
401 AM MDT WED AUG 27 2008
.DISCUSSION...AN UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM AND STRONG JET STREAM ARE
CURRENTLY PUSHING INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST AND WILL BE OVER THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES SHORTLY. LIGHT PRECIPITATION WITH THESE FEATURES
IS PASSING SPOKANE AND MOVING INTO THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. THIS WILL
ADVANCE ACROSS MOST OF NORTHERN IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA
THROUGH THE DAY. BIG CONCERN WITH THIS SCENARIO IS STRONG WINDS
PICKING UP LATE MORNING AND PERSISTING INTO EARLY EVENING. THE
HIGHER TERRAIN NEAR THE NORTHERN CONTINENTAL DIVIDE IS
PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THIS...AND WILL MAINTAIN THE HIGH WIND
WARNING IN THAT AREA. WINDS ON FLATHEAD LAKE WILL CAUSE SAFETY
CONCERNS FOR BOATERS AS WELL PROMPTING A LAKE WIND ADVISORY INTO
THE EVENING HOURS.
SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL AGAIN HAVE FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS THIS
AFTERNOON WITH THE INCREASING WINDS. HOWEVER...WHILE PRECIPITATION
CHANCES OVER THAT AREA LOOK MINIMAL...LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL
INCREASE THROUGH THE DAY. THE RESULTING HIGHER HUMIDITIES WILL
SOMEWHAT OFFSET THE WINDS FROM A FIRE DANGER STANDPOINT.
PRECIPITATION WILL RECEDE TO THE NORTH AND DIMINISH THROUGH TONIGHT
AND THURSDAY AS LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGING DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA. THE
RIDGE WILL STRENGTHEN FRIDAY...AND THUS WE WILL SEE A WARMING
TREND DURING THE LAST COUPLE DAYS OF THE WORK WEEK.
ANOTHER PACIFIC TROUGH IS EXPECTED ALONG THE WEST COAST SATURDAY
AND OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES SUNDAY. SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL
LIKELY SEE ANOTHER CRITICAL FIRE WEATHER PERIOD SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN
THE INCREASING INSTABILITY AND SOUTHWEST FLOW AHEAD OF THE TROUGH.
RIGHT NOW IT LOOKS LIKE LABOR DAY AND EARLY IN THE COMING WEEK
WILL BE FAIRLY DRY BEHIND THE EXITING TROUGH. HOWEVER...GIVEN THE
STRUGGLES THAT MEDIUM RANGE MODELS OFTEN HAVE IN HANDLING
PROGRESSIVE FLOW...WILL MAINTAIN A MINIMAL CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION.
&&
.AVIATION...A STRONG PACIFIC JET STREAM AND AREA OF MOISTURE WILL
MOVE OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH THE DAY. LIGHT RAIN AND
LOWERING CLOUDS WILL CAUSE INCREASING MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS
THROUGH MID AFTERNOON. IN ADDITION...STRONG WINDS AT BOTH THE
SURFACE AND ALOFT MAY PRODUCE AREAS OF SIGNIFICANT TERRAIN
TURBULENCE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 9 PM MDT THIS EVENING FOR
FLATHEAD LAKE.
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 9 PM MDT THIS
EVENING FOR WEST GLACIER REGION.
ID...&&
WHITMOREThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong sustained and wind gusts were reported by the Snowslip and Logan Pass automated observation stations. Between these two stations sustained winds ranged between 25 to 40 mph with gusts ranging between 50 mph to 84 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, August 2008
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: 128506.