A strong cold front brought very strong winds to the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 10 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 GGW wrote it up.
A strong cold front brought very strong winds to the region.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 11, 3:55 PM MST, 4 hours 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 355 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... ...STRONG AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA TONIGHT AND EARLY MONDAY MORNING. THIS WIND WILL CREATE BLOWING SNOW THAT WILL PRODUCE BLIZZARD CONDITIONS TONIGHT ACROSS FAR NORTHEAST MONTANA... A STRENGTHENING SURFACE LOW IS TRACKING ACROSS SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN THIS AFTERNOON UNDER THE LEADING EDGE OF A VIGOROUS SHORTWAVE TROUGH. THE WARM FRONT HAS PRODUCED PERIODS OF SNOW ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON. THE HEAVIEST SNOW AND HENCE MOST ACCUMULATION HAS BEEN IN THE NORTHEAST ZONES...BUT THIS HAS GENERALLY BEEN AROUND 1 INCH. MEANWHILE...AN ARCTIC HIGH OVER NORTHERN ALBERTA AND THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES IS BEING NUDGED SOUTHWARD AS AN UPPER RIDGE AMPLIFIES OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. THE SURFACE LOW WILL DIVE INTO NORTH DAKOTA THIS EVENING WHILE THE ARCTIC HIGH CONTINUES ITS PUSH SOUTH. THIS WILL PRODUCE A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT WITH RAPID PRESSURE RISES OF AROUND 6-8MB/3HRS OVERNIGHT. 850MB WIND SPEEDS REACH AROUND 55KT AND IN STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION THESE SHOULD NOT HAVE MUCH TROUBLE REACHING THE SURFACE WITH MODEL SOUNDINGS INDICATING DRY ADIABATIC LAPSE RATES THROUGH 850MB. LOOSE SNOW REMAINS OVER THE NORTHEAST ZONES...WHILE IT HAS CRUSTED OVER IN OTHER AREAS. THE MOST NEW SNOW FROM THIS AFTERNOON WILL FALL IN THE NORTHEAST AS WELL. GIVEN THIS WILL CONTINUE WITH A BLIZZARD WARNING FOR NORTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS...SHERIDAN...AND ALL OF ROOSEVELT. UPGRADED THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO A WARNING AND ADDED GARFIELD AND THE REST OF PHILLIPS TO THE HIGH WIND WARNING AS STRONG WIND SPEEDS CAN BE EXPECTED ALONG AND TO THE EAST OF THE LITTLE ROCKIES AS WELLS AS THE HIGHER RIDGES OF WESTERN GARFIELD COUNTY AND ALL OF EASTERN GARFIELD. A FEW AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ARE POSSIBLE IN THE HIGH WIND WARNING AREA...BUT THE WIND WILL DEFINITELY BE THE HIGHEST IMPACT. THE WIND WILL RAPIDLY DIMINISH MONDAY MORNING AS THE ARCTIC HIGH MOVES OVERHEAD. THE HIGH WIND WARNING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH 11AM FOR THE SOUTHEAST ZONES. THIS WILL LEAD TO A BRIEF QUIET AND COLD PERIOD THROUGH THE MIDDLE MONDAY NIGHT. ACTIVE WEATHER WILL RETURN IN THE EARLY HOURS OF TUESDAY AS ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM APPROACHES FROM THE NORTHEAST. THE EASTERN ZONES HAVE THE BEST CHANCE AT RECEIVING ADDITIONAL SNOWFALL. ANOTHER ROUND OF STRONG WIND IS EXPECTED LATE TUESDAY AS ANOTHER ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. AJZ .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... DECENT MODEL CONSISTENCY EXISTS THROUGH THE PERIOD...THUS HIGHER CONFIDENCE. WHAT IS EXPECTED TO BE THE LAST ARCTIC COLD FRONT FOR AT LEAST A LITTLE WHILE WILL PUSH THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY...BRINGING A CHANCE FOR SNOW. WINDS WILL AGAIN BE UP IMMEDIATELY BEHIND THE FRONT...THUS TRENDED UP WINDS FOR SAID PERIOD. WEDNESDAY NIGHT THE ARCTIC HIGH WILL BEGIN TO MOVE OUT TO THE EAST AS A LARGE UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THIS RIDGE WILL SERVE TO SIGNIFICANTLY WARM AND DRY THE STATE OF MONTANA INTO NEXT WEEKEND. CONTINUED THE CONSERVATIVE FORECAST REGARDING THE WARMING AS SNOW COVER WILL UNDOUBTEDLY HELP KEEP THINGS BELOW THEIR POTENTIAL. GILCHRIST PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN TAKES PLACE THAT WILL LEAD TO WARMER AND DRIER WEATHER. THE LONGWAVE PATTERN IS VERY AMPLIFIED...WITH AN UNUSUALLY STRONG STRONG CLOSED UPPER HIGH....CENTERED JUST OFF N CA COAST...THAT GRADUALLY MOVES E DURING THE PERIOD TO DOMINATE NE MT WEATHER BY THE END OF THE WEEK. MODELS ARE IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT WITH THE PATTERN WITH LITTLE DIFFERENCE ON ANY SIGNIFICANT MATTER. BEFORE THIS TAKES PLACE THOUGH...ONE MORE POTENT ARCTIC AIRMASS MOVES ACROSS THE AREA. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE LAST OF A LONG STRING OF ARCTIC BLASTS FOR AWHILE. THE ARCTIC FRONT BACKDOORS ACROSS THE AREA TUE NIGHT. THESE FRONTS SELDOM PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOW. THERE IS ONLY WEAK UPPER LIFT AND VORTICITY...BUT IN A CYCLONICALLY STRONG UPPER JET...THERE IS A CHANCE OF LIGHT SNOW ...ACCUMULATIONS WELL UNDER AN INCH AT BEST THOUGH...AS MOST MODELS DO SHOW LIGHT QPF OVER THE AREA. TEMPS FALLING WITH THE STRONG COLD ADVECTION WED. SURFACE HIGH MOVES INTO ND WITH TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENTS OVER NE MT WED/WED NIGHT...SO HAVE RAISED WIND SPEEDS. THE ARCTIC HIGH MOVES OUT OF THE AREA THU...LEAVING NE MT IN A W-NW LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW. WHILE THIS IS FAVORABLE FOR CONSIDERABLE WARMING...WITH THE STRONG UPPER HIGH...WE WILL FALL WELL BELOW POTENTIAL DUE TO THE MODERATE TO WEAK WIND FLOW AT LOW LEVELS AND EXTENSIVE DEEP SNOWPACK IN OUR N. MEN MOS SHOWS A SURPRISINGLY LARGE VARIATION IN TEMPS. WILL GO CLOSE TO THE OPERATIONAL NUMBERS OF THE GFS WHICH ARE THE HIGHEST NUMBERS...BUT SEEM REASONABLE FOR THE PATTERN...STILL WELL BELOW POTENTIAL WHICH HAS 850 TEMPS UP TO 7C OVER GGW BY SUN. SIMONSEN && .AVIATION... IFR TO MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES WILL PERSIST AT THE TERMINALS INTO THE EARLY EVENING. THESE CONDITIONS ARE THE RESULT OF SNOWFALL DRIVEN BY THE WARM FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH AN ALBERTA CLIPPER SYSTEM. THE COLD FRONT WILL BEGIN TO PUSH THROUGH DURING THE MID TO LATE EVENING BRINGING WITH IT VERY STRONG TO SEVERE NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 KTS GUSTING 50 TO 60 KTS. IFR TO LIFR CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING IN BLOWING SNOW. WINDS WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE AROUND SUNRISE...ALLOWING CONDITIONS TO IMPROVE. THAT BEING SAID EXPECT MVFR CEILINGS TO CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON. GILCHRIST && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MST MONDAY FOR DANIELS-SHERIDAN- WESTERN ROOSEVELT-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MST MONDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY-GARFIELD-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 11 AM MST MONDAY FOR MCCONE-RICHLAND- DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 332 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 MTZ016-017-022-059-060-121300- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- GARFIELD-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 332 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM MST THIS EVENING THROUGH 6 AM MONDAY MORNING. A NORTHWEST WIND OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THE WIND WILL RAPIDLY DIMINISH LATE MONDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ANOTHER STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND A CHANCE OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE WIND WILL BECOME EAST ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING. WIND CHILLS 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT...WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ023>027-121300- MCCONE-RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX- 332 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM MST THIS EVENING THROUGH 11 AM MONDAY MORNING. A NORTHWEST WIND OF 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 60 MPH IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP THIS EVENING AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THE WIND WILL RAPIDLY DIMINISH EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND A CHANCE OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE WIND WILL BECOME EAST ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING. WIND CHILLS 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT...WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ018>020-061-062-121300- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-NORTHERN VALLEY- EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 332 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A BLIZZARD WARNING IS IN EFFECT FROM 6 PM THIS EVENING TO 6 AM MONDAY MORNING. A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE AREA EARLY THIS EVENING. A INCH OR TWO OF NEW SNOW IS LIKELY LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT. NORTHWEST WINDS 35 TO 45 MPH WITH GUSTS TO AROUND 60 MPH WILL CREATE WIDESPREAD BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH WHITEOUT CONDITIONS TONIGHT. THE WINDS WILL DIMINISH MONDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND A CHANCE OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE WIND WILL BECOME EAST ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING. WIND CHILLS 20 BELOW TO 35 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT...WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ021-121300- PETROLEUM- 332 PM MST SUN JAN 11 2009 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A NORTHWEST WIND OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS AROUND 50 MPH WILL DEVELOP THIS EVENING AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT MOVES THROUGH. THE WIND WILL RAPIDLY DIMINISH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY ANOTHER COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG NORTHEAST WINDS AND A CHANCE OF SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE WIND WILL BECOME EAST ON WEDNESDAY AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT BEFORE DIMINISHING. WIND CHILLS 20 BELOW TO 30 BELOW ZERO ARE POSSIBLE TUESDAY NIGHT...WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The wind at the Hays RAWS site gusted to 61 mph at 2117 MST. Winds were sustained in the 40 to 55 mph range for several hours during the evening as well.
The Whitewater School observation had a 60 mph gust at 2110 MST with winds 35 to 43 mph sustained for several hours in the evening.
The Montana Department of Transportation Cow Creek observation site had a peak gust of 63 mph at 2257 MST. The site had 40 to 50 mph sustained winds for several hours as well. The Weldon area had a peak gust of 54 mph at 2256 MST.
The Montana Department of Transportation observation site at Saco had sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph for several hours. The peak wind gust at that site was 52 mph at 2243 MST.
Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph were reported for several hours on the Glasgow ASOS site. The peak wind was 72 mph at 2158 MST. Glasgow 4 miles north had a 75 mph peak gust at 2152 MST, and a site north of Frazer had a 63 mph peak gust at 2201 MST. The King Coulee RAWS observation had a peak gust of 63 mph on the 2344 MST observation. While the main impact was the very high winds, the extreme eastern portion of the area had reduced visibilities due to drifting snow as well.
Strong winds of 30 to 40 mph for several hours reported along with gusts estimated at 60 mph around 2300 MST in extreme northeast Garfield County south of Haxby Point. The Montana Department of Transportation Lufbourough Hill site had a peak wind of 49 mph at 2354 MST.
The Glendive AWOS had a peak wind gust of 60 mph at 0035 MST with several hours of winds from 35 to 45 mph sustained. The Montana Department of Transportation site at the Lindsay Divide had a peak gust of 58 mph at 2322 MST with sustained winds of 35 to 40 mph for several hours. Weather spotters near Bloomfield reported a peak gust of 58 mph at 0210 MST.
The Buffalo Rapids site had a peak gust of 58 mph at 0015 MST and sustained winds of 40 to 50 mph for several hours. The Big Sheep Mountain RAWS site had a peak gust of 55 mph at 0044 MST, with sustained winds of 35 to 40 mph for several hours. Some drifting snow was observed, but the main impact was the high winds.
Trained spotters reported 56 mph peak wind gusts around 0100 MST 18 miles south of Wibaux. Four miles north of that spotter, another one had a gust to 64 mph measured at 0100 MST. Some drifting snow was also reported in the northern portion of the county causing reduced visibilities.
The Montana Department of Transportation site at Sioux Pass recorded sustained winds of 40 to 45 mph for several hours. The peak wind gust was 53 mph at 0053 MST. The Sidney AWOS observation was unavailable through part of the event, but it did record a 48 mph gust at 0135 MST.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2009
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: 149562, 149564, 149568, 149567, 149565, 152089, 149569, 149563, 149566, 152090.