A cold front associated with an intense low pressure system produced very strong and gusty winds ahead of and with the fronts passage. Several trees were blown down blocking highway 93 north of Salmon.
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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.
A cold front associated with an intense low pressure system produced very strong and gusty winds ahead of and with the fronts passage. Several trees were blown down blocking highway 93 north of Salmon.
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 Nov 16, 4:08 AM MST, 1 hour 52 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
408 AM MST TUE NOV 16 2010
...STRONG POSSIBLY DAMAGING WINDS EXPECTED THIS MORNING...
...ACCUMULATING MOUNTAIN SNOWS OVER THE PASSES THIS MORNING...
.DISCUSSION...SEVERAL HAZARDOUS WEATHER EVENTS ARE ON-GOING OR
EXPECTED THIS MORNING DUE TO AN INTENSE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM ENTERING
THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.
WIND...STRONG WINDS WILL BE THE IMMEDIATE HAZARD EARLY THIS
MORNING FOR THE MORNING COMMUTE. A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS HAS
DEVELOPED AND IS CURRENTLY MOVING THROUGH CAMAS PRAIRIE IN NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO. THIS LINE WILL MOVE THROUGH CENTRAL IDAHO THROUGH 4
AM MDT THEN SWEEP ACROSS WESTERN AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA FROM 5 TO 9
AM MDT. EXPECT STRONG SOUTHERLY WINDS AHEAD OF THE FRONT THEN
SHIFTING TO THE WEST/NORTHWEST BEHIND IT. WINDS ALONG THIS FRONT
ARE VERY STRONG. WIDESPREAD WIND GUSTS OF 40-50 MPH WITH LOCAL
GUSTS TO NEAR 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED ALONG THE FRONT. STRONG WINDS
ARE ANTICIPATED BEHIND THE FRONT TODAY. WIND IMPACTS THE REST OF
THE MORNING WILL BE IN THE BITTERROOT/MISSOULA VALLEYS AND THE
I-90 CORRIDOR FROM BUTTE TO DEER LODGE. PLEASE SEE GTFNPWMSO FOR
DETAILS.
MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL ALSO BE A MAJOR IMPACT THIS MORNING AND
CONTINUING THROUGH THE DAY. WIDESPREAD SNOWS ABOVE 6000 FEET
STARTED LAST EVENING. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER THIS MORNING TO PASS
LEVELS WHERE SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW ARE EXPECTED BY MID MORNING.
STRONG WINDS WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES
DUE TO BLOWING SNOW. PLEASE SEE GTFWSWMSO FOR DETAILS ON ALL
WINTER HIGHLIGHTS. VALLEYS WILL EXPERIENCE ALL RAIN THIS MORNING.
HOWEVER...SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO THE VALLEY FLOOR DURING THE
AFTERNOON...BUT THE BULK OF PRECIPITATION WILL HAVE MOVED EAST OF
THE AREA LEAVING BEHIND SNOW SHOWERS WITH LITTLE OR NO
ACCUMULATIONS.
MEDIUM RANGE MODELS HAVE COME INTO BETTER AGREEMENT FOR THE
UPCOMING COLD WEATHER PATTERN INCLUDING A MOIST JET AND COLD FRONT
BEGINNING LATE WEDNESDAY. THE HIGH TERRAIN AND NORTHWEST MONTANA
WILL BE THE FIRST TO SEE IMPACTS FROM SNOW DURING THIS SYSTEM.
ASSOCIATED SURFACE COLD FRONT WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL MOVE SOUTHWARD
THROUGH THE REGION ON THURSDAY AND QUICKLY DROP SNOW
LEVELS...WHICH COULD ALLOW FOR SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AT ALL
ELEVATIONS BY LATE THURSDAY. IT STILL APPEARS THAT THE FRONT COULD
STALL OVER EAST CENTRAL IDAHO AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA ON FRIDAY AND
COULD LEAD TO A WIDE BAND OF PERSISTENT SNOW. THE MAIN TROUGH
ASSOCIATED WITH THE JET AND COLD FRONT WILL SAG SOUTHWARD ON
SATURDAY. COLD AIR SLOSHING ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WILL
EVENTUALLY WORK THROUGH INTO THE LOWER VALLEYS BRINGING MUCH
COOLER TEMPERATURES FOR THE COMING WEEKEND. THE FINER DETAILS OF
TIMING THIS FEATURE ARE STILL LACKING...BUT CONFIDENCE IN MODEL
GUIDANCE HAS FURTHER INCREASED IN A MUCH COOLER TEMPERATURE
FORECAST FOR THE WEEKEND AND EARLY NEXT WEEK.
&&
.AVIATION...A STRONG PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT
WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO TODAY AND INTO THIS EVENING.
STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL OCCUR IN MANY AREAS...ESPECIALLY FROM
THE BITTERROOT MOUNTAINS EASTWARD TO THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE BEFORE
TRANSITIONING TO THE WEST MID TO LATE MORNING. LOCALLY STRONG MOUNTAIN
INDUCED WAVES/WIND STORMS MAY DEVELOP WITH SIGNIFICANT TURBULENCE
POSSIBLE...ESPECIALLY IN THE VICINITY OF KBTM AND KMSO. TERRAIN
OBSCURATIONS WILL BE WIDESPREAD TUESDAY MORNING AS PRECIPITATION
QUICKLY DEVELOPS ACROSS THE AREA. COOLER AIR ALOFT WILL CONTINUE
TO LOWER SNOW LEVELS....ALLOWING FOR PRECIPITATION TO TRANSITION
TO A SNOW-RAIN MIX LATER IN THE DAY.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON ABOVE 4000
FEET FOR THE LOWER CLARK FORK REGION.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM MST THIS MORNING FOR THE BITTERROOT
VALLEY.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON WEST GLACIER
REGION.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON
BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON
POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION.
HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 AM MST THIS MORNING BUTTE/BLACKFOOT
REGION.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 8 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 PM MST THIS
AFTERNOON BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION.
ID...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 4 PM PST THIS AFTERNOON ABOVE 4000
FEET FOR THE NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS...SOUTHERN
CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
WIND ADVISORY UNTIL 10 AM PST THIS MORNING LOWER HELLS
CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION...OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON ABOVE 6000
FEET FOR THE EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY.
&&
SHORT TERM...RPN
LONG TERM....NOLTE
AVIATION...NOLTEPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
445 AM MST TUE NOV 16 2010
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0337 AM TSTM WND GST 4 NE GREER 46.44N 116.12W
11/16/2010 E60.00 MPH CLEARWATER ID TRAINED SPOTTER
SPOTTER REPORTED TREE DAMAGE DUE TO ESTIMATED 60 MPH WIND
GUSTS AT RESIDENCE. ALSO SHARED REPORTS FROM LISTENING TO
SCANNER OF OTHER DAMAGE AROUND THE OROFINO
AREA...INCLUDING TREES ON CARS...ROADS...AND STRUCTURES
AROUND THE AREA.
0356 AM TSTM WND DMG WEIPPE 46.38N 115.94W
11/16/2010 CLEARWATER ID TRAINED SPOTTER
POWER OUT IN WEIPPE DUE TO STRONG WINDS...SPOTTER
REPORTED THEIR HOUSE SHAKING DUE TO WINDS...COULD NOT
ESTIMATE SPEED.
0419 AM TSTM WND DMG 4 NE GREER 46.44N 116.12W
11/16/2010 CLEARWATER ID TRAINED SPOTTER
UPDATE FROM SPOTTER LISTENING TO EMERGENCY
SCANNER...SEVERAL TREES ARE DOWN ACROSS HIGHWAYS 11 AND 3
BLOCKING TRAFFIC LANES. ONE AREA TRAILER PARK IS BEING
EVACUATED DUE TO TREE DAMAGE ON RESIDENCES. WINDS STILL
ELEVATED 40-45 MPH ACROSS THE AREA.
&&
NOLTEThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong winds blew trees down onto highway 93 north of Salmon.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, November 2010
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: 268004.