High Wind in Montana, November 7, 2009

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 7, 2009
Start: 2009-11-07T19:30
End: 2009-11-07T19:30
Location: Montana

November 7, 2009 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong west winds were reported over the plains adjacent to the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. A wind gust to 58 mph was reported.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

Strong west winds were reported over the plains adjacent to the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. A wind gust to 58 mph was reported.

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 Nov 7, 5:15 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 7, 5:15 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
515 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009

...UPDATE TO BOTH AVIATION AND PUBLIC PORTIONS...

.UPDATE...
QUICK UPDATE TO ZONE AND STATE FORECASTS EARLY THIS EVENING TO
REMOVE HIGH WIND WARNING FROM EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY. WEST WINDS
HAVE DECREASED TO 15 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 40 MPH ACROSS EASTERN
GLACIER COUNTY THIS AFTERNOON. AS A RESULT...THE HIGH WIND WARNING
FOR EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY HAS BEEN ALLOW TO EXPIRE.

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION AROUND MIDNIGHT TONIGHT
AND WILL CAUSE WINDS TO AGAIN INCREASE WITH GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH
POSSIBLE ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKIES. GUSTS MAY REACH UP TO
40 MPH ACROSS THE REST OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA AFTER
MIDNIGHT AS THE FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE AREA. HOWEVER...THE
STRONGER GUSTS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE WIDESPREAD AND ARE EXPECTED TO
REMAIN BELOW WARNING CRITERIA.  LOSS

&&

.AVIATION...
UPDATED 0015Z.
VFR CONDITIONS WILL ACROSS MOST OF NORTH CENTRAL...CENTRAL...AND
SOUTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH AT LEAST SUNDAY...UNLESS NOTED OTHERWISE
BELOW. THE STRONG AND MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE THE
CLOUDS AND SHOWERS THAT WILL OBSCURE THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN AND
SOUTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH THE PERIOD. WESTERLY SURFACE WINDS HAVE
DECREASED SOMEWHAT THIS EVENING. HOWEVER...A SHORTWAVE TROUGH WITH
AN ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION AROUND AND
AFTER MIDNIGHT. THIS WILL INCREASE PRECIPITATION IN THE MOUNTAINS
OVERNIGHT...AND SOME SHOWERS MAY REACH VALLEY FLOORS IN SOUTHWEST
MONTANA (INCLUDING KHLN AND KBZN...BUT VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD
GENERALLY CONTINUE THERE). THE FRONT WILL ALSO BRING INCREASING MID
LEVEL CLOUDINESS TO THE PLAINS AREAS...BUT THE CONTINUED DOWNSLOPE
WINDS WILL KEEP THEM DRY. WINDS WILL INCREASE TEMPORARILY WITH THE
PASSAGE OF THE COLD FRONT BETWEEN 05Z AND 12Z...INCREASING WIND
GUSTS UP TO 45 KT ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKIES AND UP TO 35
KT ELSEWHERE. WINDS WILL INCREASE ONCE AGAIN SUNDAY AFTERNOON WITH
BETTER MIXING OF WINDS ALOFT DUE TO DAYTIME HEATING.  COULSTON

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION...
/ISSUED 246 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009/
TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...A SHORTWAVE NEAR THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
COAST WILL MOVE THROUGH THE NORTHERN ZONES LATE TONIGHT AND SUNDAY
MORNING. THIS WILL BRING AN INCREASE IN SNOW OVER THE WESTERN
MOUNTAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. NOT SURE HOW MUCH
EFFECT DOWNSLOPE WILL HAVE ON THE SHORTWAVE AS IT MOVES OVER THE
PLAINS. MODELS STILL TEND TO BE DRY BUT WOULD NOT BE SURPRISED TO
SEE A FEW SHOWERS. HOWEVER DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE THAT
SHOWERS WILL DEVELOP TO CHANGE THE INHERITED DRY FORECAST. AN
UPPER RIDGE WILL MOVE OVER THE AREA LATER SUNDAY NIGHT AND MOVE TO
THE FAR EASTERN ZONES MONDAY AFTERNOON. THIS RIDGE WILL RESULT IN
AN END TO THE PRECIPITATION OVER THE MOUNTAINS BY MONDAY. ANOTHER
EFFECT OF THE UPPER RIDGE WILL BE WARMING DAYTIME TEMPERATURES
FROM SUNDAY TO MONDAY. WINDS HAVE DIMINISHED SOME OVER EASTERN
GLACIER COUNTY BUT STILL PLAN TO CONTINUE THE HIGH WIND WARNING IN
THAT AREA UNTIL 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON. BLANK

MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE AXIS MOVES EAST BY
MONDAY NIGHT WITH WEST-SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW DEVELOPING OVER THE
FORECAST AREA AS A TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE
PACIFIC NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE
AVERAGE DURING THE FIRST PART OF THE FORECAST PERIOD...THEN BEGIN TO
FALL AS COOLER AIR SINKS SOUTH FROM CANADA. A WEAK SHORTWAVE ALOFT
MAY ALLOW FOR A FEW RAIN OR SNOW SHOWERS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT ON TUESDAY...HOWEVER THE MAJORITY OF THE AREA WILL REMAIN
DRY.  MODELS BEGIN TO DIVERGE A BIT BY WEDNESDAY WITH REGARDS TO
TIMING AND INTENSITY OF OUR NEXT STRONGER STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO
THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. GFS SEEMS TO BE A BIT FASTER THAN THE
ECMWF...HOWEVER OVERALL PROGRESSION SEEMS TO BE SLOWER THAN THE
PREVIOUS MODEL RUNS. BOTH MODELS INDICATE DECENT DYNAMICS WITH THE
DEEPENING TROUGH OVER THE INTERMOUNTAIN WEST ALONG WITH PACIFIC
MOISTURE AVAILABILITY...BUT THE EC BEGINS TO SPLIT THE TROUGH BY
THURSDAY. GIVEN THE UNCERTAINTY IN TIMING...KEPT LIKELY POPS IN THE
MOUNTAINS FOR WEDNESDAY AND ALSO INCREASED POPS FOR WEDNESDAY
NIGHT...MAINLY IN THE SOUTHWEST MONTANA MTNS.  IN ADDITION...A
SURFACE COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA
LATER WEDNESDAY BRINGING IN COOLER AIR THAT MAY LEAD TO VALLEY RAIN
AND SNOW AND ALL SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS STARTING WEDNESDAY NIGHT
THROUGH THURSDAY. THE UNCERTAINTY IN THIS UNSETTLED PATTERN
CONTINUES THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD SO KEPT POPS NEAR
CLIMO AND TEMPERATURES SLIGHTLY BELOW AVERAGE. MLS

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  34  49  30  55 /  10  10   0   0
CTB  32  47  30  52 /  10  10   0   0
HLN  31  48  27  53 /   0  10   0   0
BZN  27  52  22  57 /  10  10   0   0
WEY  21  37  14  43 /  30  10   0   0
DLN  24  46  21  51 /   0   0   0   0
HVR  29  52  25  54 /  10  10   0   0
LWT  26  47  24  53 /   0  10   0   0

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
NONE.

&&

SHORT TERM...LOSS/BLANK
LONG TERM...MLS/GUSTAFSON
AVIATION...COULSTON

WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 7, 5:45 PM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
545 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009

MTZ009-048-081300-
NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-
545 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN AND CENTRAL MONTANA AROUND
AND AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THIS FRONT WILL INCREASE SNOWFALL OVER
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS OF 3 TO 6
INCHES ARE POSSIBLE ABOVE 6000 FEET...WHILE 1 TO 2 INCHES ARE
POSSIBLE BELOW 6000 FEET. THE FRONT WILL ALSO INCREASE WEST WINDS
TO 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS OF UP TO 55 MPH ALONG THE EAST SLOPES
OF THE ROCKIES. WINDS AND SNOW WILL THEN DECREASE ONCE AGAIN
TOWARD MORNING. THE RESULTING BLOWING SNOW WILL CAUSE HAZARDOUS
DRIVING CONDITIONS THROUGH MOUNTAIN PASSES ALONG THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT...INCLUDING MARIAS PASS.

FOR SPECIFIC ROAD AND TRAVEL CONDITIONS IN MONTANA...DIAL 5 1 1.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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.

MTZ010-044-046-049-081300-
EASTERN GLACIER-TOOLE-EASTERN PONDERA-EASTERN TETON-
545 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A COLD FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN AND CENTRAL MONTANA AROUND
AND AFTER MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. THIS WILL INCREASE WEST WINDS TO 20
TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE
ROCKIES. WINDS WILL THEN DECREASE ONCE AGAIN TOWARD MORNING.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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.

MTZ008-011>015-045-047-050>055-081300-
BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-
CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-LIBERTY-BLAINE-
JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN-
545 PM MST SAT NOV 7 2009

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 7, 2:29 PM MST, 5 hours 1 minute before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
229 PM MST SAT NOV 07 2009

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

1230 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 7 N SUNBURST            48.98N 111.91W
11/07/2009  M58 MPH          TOOLE              MT   MESONET

            WIND GUSTED TO 58 MPH 1 MILE SOUTH OF SWEETGRASS.

1014 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST CUT BANK                48.63N 112.33W
11/07/2009  M57 MPH          GLACIER            MT   ASOS

1014 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST PENDROY                 48.06N 112.30W
11/07/2009  M56 MPH          TETON              MT   MESONET

&&

WILLIAMSON DC

Local storm report, Nov 7, 2:57 PM MST, 4 hours 33 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
257 PM MST SAT NOV 07 2009

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

1014 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST CUT BANK                48.63N 112.33W
11/07/2009  M58.00 MPH       GLACIER            MT   ASOS

&&

WILLIAMSON DC

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 7, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 58 mph was reported at Sunburst 7N.

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 2009 Every state in 2009 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 2009

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: 202283.