A strong area of low pressure moved east across southern Saskatchewan. High winds associated with a trailing cold front helped to kick up brush fires in some areas.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 area of low pressure moved east across southern Saskatchewan. High winds associated with a trailing cold front helped to kick up brush fires in some areas.
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 Apr 8, 2:09 PM MST, 21 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 309 PM MDT THU APR 8 2010 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... ...CONTINUED WINDY AND DRY CONDITIONS TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING... COLD FRONT EVIDENT ON SATELLITE AND RADAR CURRENTLY PUSHING THROUGH CENTRAL MONTANA ON ITS JOURNEY EAST. SAID FRONT SHOULD BE INTO THE WESTERN ZONES WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS. WIND SPEEDS BEHIND THE FRONT HAVE REACHED HIGH WIND CRITERIA ALREADY. THUS FELT CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO ISSUE A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE WIND FAVORED LITTLE ROCKIES ZONE IN SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS COUNTY. THE REMINDER OF PHILLIPS COUNTY AND PETROLEUM COUNTY WILL GET NEAR THE CRITERIA OF SUSTAINED 40 MPH WINDS AND OR GUSTS TO 58 MPH...BUT AT THIS TIME CONFIDENCE WAS JUST NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO GO THAT WIDESPREAD OVERNIGHT TONIGHT SAID FRONT WILL CROSS THROUGH NORTHEAST MONTANA. THE SYSTEM HAS SOME MOISTURE TO WORK WITH EARLY ON THIS EVENING FOR ISOLATED SHOWERS...BUT WILL LOSE THIS MOISTURE AS IT PUSHES TO THE EAST OVERNIGHT TONIGHT. GUSTY WINDS WILL ALSO CONTINUE BEHIND THE FRONT TONIGHT. FRIDAY WILL CONTINUE TO SEE BREEZY CONDITIONS IN THE DRY POST FRONTAL ENVIRONMENT. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SOME 15 TO 20 DEGREES COOLER THEN TODAYS READINGS. FRIDAY NIGHT WINDS WILL QUICKLY DIMINISH AS A LOW LEVEL INVERSION SETS UP...ENDING FIRE WEATHER CONCERNS. TEMPS WILL ALSO COOL TO BELOW NORMALS UNDER CLEAR SKIES. SATURDAY WEAK RIDGING BEGINS TO RETURN TO NORTHEAST MONTANA. SAID RIDGING WILL NUDGE HIGHS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL AND BRING RELATIVELY LIGHT WINDS. GILCHRIST .LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY... LONG TERM MODEL FORECASTS ARE CONTINUING TO SHOW SOME CONSISTENCY WITH RIDGE MOVING EAST BY SUNDAY NIGHT ALLOWING UPPER LEVEL CLOSED LOW TO COME ASHORE IN NORTHERN CALIFORNIA. BOTH THE GFS AND THE EC HAVE THE WARM FRONT SURGING NORTH WITH SUFFICIENT LIFT AHEAD OF THE FRONT AND 11 TO 13 DEGREES CELSIUS 850 TEMPERATURES FOR SUNDAY NIGHT AND INTO MONDAY. SLIGHT CHANCE POPS WERE IN THERE SO FELT GOOD LEAVING THE FORECAST AS IS. MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT...BY MONDAY A STRONGER SHORTWAVE BEGINS TO TRAVERSE THE BASE OF THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH OVER THE GREAT BASIN AND A SURFACE LOW DEEPENS EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE. ONLY CHANGE TO POPS WERE TO DECREASE IN THE SOUTHERN ZONES AND INCREASE IN THE NORTHERN ZONES DUE TO MOST LIFT BEING PLACED IN THE NORTH DUE THE FRONT. BOTH MODELS SHOW DEEPENING AND ABUNDANT MOISTURE FEEDS INTO THE SYSTEM AS THE GULF APPEARS OPEN FOR BUSINESS AND DRAWS MOISTURE NORTHWARD AND INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. HOWEVER...DIFFERENCES BEGIN TO ARISE AS THE GFS IS A BIT FAST/DRIER AND PLACES MOST QPF INTO NORTH DAKOTA. THE EC IS THE WETTER OF THE 2 MODELS AND IS A BIT SLOWER WHICH IS INDICATIVE OF AN AMPLIFYING PATTERN. GIVEN THE AMPLITUDE OF THE RIDGE IN THE EASTERN US BY TUESDAY NIGHT AND HOW MUCH MOISTURE THAT IS BEING DRAWN FELT COMFORTABLE IN STICKING WITH THE EC AND LEFT CHANCE POPS IN THERE FOR TUESDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. STILL CAN'T PIN POINT EXACTLY HOW MUCH PRECIP THE AREA CAN GET SO LEFT THE QPF FORECAST TO LATER SHIFTS. WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...THE PATTERN REMAINS ACTIVE FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY AS THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH BROADENS AND ANOTHER STRONG PIECE OF ENERGY BEGINS TO TRACK NORTH WEST OF THE FRONT AND ANOTHER SURFACE LOW DEVELOPS EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE. THE GULF APPEARS TO BE OPEN AGAIN AS AMPLE MOISTURE IS DRAWN NORTH AGAIN. WITH UNCERTAINTY PRESENT...LEFT SLIGHT CHANCE POPS IN FOR WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. OTHER CHANGES TO THE FORECAST WERE SLIGHT TWEAKS MOSTLY FOR TEMPERATURE. SHALLENBERGER PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...THE BEGINNING OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD STARTS WITH ZONAL FLOW ALOFT AND A LARGE CLOSED LOW OFF OF THE CALIFORNIA COAST HEADED FOR SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AND NORTHERN MEXICO. THIS WILL FORM INTO A LARGE AND COMPLEX LONGWAVE...WHICH WILL REMAIN OVER THE WESTERN STATES FOR THE REST OF THE EXTENDED PERIOD. BOTH THE GFS AND THE ECMWF ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE OVERALL PATTERN. THE DIFFERENCES IN THE MODELS AT THIS POINT IS THE TIMING OF THE SHORT WAVES THAT WILL MOVE THROUGH THIS UPPER TROF/LONGWAVE OVER THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS. WITH THIS IN MIND DIDN'T MAKE TOO MANY CHANGES TO THE EXTENDED FORECAST. STARTING SUNDAY NIGHT AND LASTING THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING THE PATTERN LOOKS WET ESPECIALLY FOR EASTERN MONTANA. THE FIRST SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS UPPER LEVEL PATTERN WILL MOVE NORTHEAST OUT OF THE GREAT BASIN MONDAY AFTERNOON AND INTO THE NORTHERN PLAINS BY TUESDAY EVENING. AT THIS POINT THE BOTH MODELS SHOW THIS FEATURE COLLECTING GULF MOISTURE AND TRANSFERRING IT TO THE NORTHERN PLAINS. THE LARGER AMOUNTS OF QPF ON THE GFS IS OVER THE DAKOTAS...WHERE AS THE ECMWF SWINGS THIS QPF OVER EASTERN MONTANA. THE MODELS HAVE BEEN TRENDING SLOWER WITH THIS MAIN FEATURE...AN EXPECTED RESULT OF AMPLIFYING PATTERN BECOMING MORE BLOCKING. IT IS HARD AT THIS POINT TO NAIL DOWN THE AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION THAT THIS FIRST SHORT WAVE WILL BRING BUT THE MODELS DO SHOW A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF GULF OF MEXICO MOISTURE MOVING NORTHWARD. RAISED THE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES MONDAY AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THIS SYSTEM AS WELL. THE ECMWF ALSO SHOW INSTABILITY TUESDAY WITH THIS FEATURES AS AN 850 MB 50 TO 60 KNOT LOW LEVEL JET WILL REALLY HELP GET THE MOISTURE INTO EASTERN MONTANA. SO THERE COULD BE SOME CONVECTIVE ELEMENTS ON TUESDAY...EXPECT RAIN SHOWERS FOR TUESDAY AFTERNOON AND EVENING ALONG WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED THUNDER. THE THUNDER IS NOT A SURE THING AS OF NOW SO DIDN'T ADD IT TO THE FORECAST YET...BUT WANTED TO MENTION IT HERE SO IT WILL BE LOOKED AT MORE CLOSELY. THE PATTERN WILL REMAIN WET WITH A CHANCE OF RAIN SHOWERS THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING AS ANOTHER SHORT WAVE MOVES NORTHEAST OUT OF THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROF/LONGWAVE ON THURSDAY. RSMITH && .AVIATION... EXPECT VFR CONDITIONS THROUGH TONIGHT. A BROKEN TO OVERCAST MID LEVEL CLOUD DECK WILL LINGER THROUGH THE NIGHT. SOUTH AND SOUTHWEST WINDS AT 15 TO 25 KNOTS WILL SHIFT TO THE WEST AT 20 TO 30 KNOTS AND GUST TO NEAR 40 KNOTS AFTER FRONTAL PASSAGE BETWEEN 00Z AND 02Z. EXPECT THE WINDS TO REMAIN STRONG OUT OF THE WEST THROUGH FRIDAY MORNING. SKIES THEN WILL QUICKLY CLEAR AND WINDS WILL DIMINISH TO AROUND 10 TO 15 KTS BY EARLY FRIDAY AFTERNOON. SHALLENBERGER && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MDT FRIDAY FOR MTZ119>122. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT FRIDAY FOR SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 400 AM MDT THU APR 8 2010 MTZ016>027-059>062-091000- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 400 AM MDT THU APR 8 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT VERY DRY AND WINDY CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH A COLD FRONTAL PASSAGE WILL OCCUR THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TONIGHT. THESE WINDS MAY CAUSE ISSUES FOR PERSONS DRIVING IN HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES...AND FOR ANY UNSECURED GOODS PEOPLE MAY HAVE AROUND THEIR HOUSE. A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST MONTANA FOR THURSDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH FRIDAY EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY WINDY CONDITIONS WILL PERSIST INTO FRIDAY BEFORE TAPERING OFF FRIDAY EVENING. .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.
12 high wind, 1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
Hays DOT sensor reported a sustained wind of over 40 mph with gusts over 50 mph for over two hours.
Northwest wind gusted to 60 mph at Luftborough Hill DOT; wind was sustained at 47 mph at Jordan Airport; 40 mph sustained winds at Hell Creek Marina.
Sustained winds were highest at Glasgow Airport with 47 mph. The highest gust of 61 mph was measured by a spotter 4 miles south-southeast of the Whately greenhouse.
Whitewater reported sustained winds up to 45 mph. Val Marie, Saskatchewan which is just across the US/Canadian border, reported a wind gust to 59 mph at 100 AM MST April 9th.
Malta South DOT sensor reported sustained winds over 40 mph with a gust to 61 mph. Malta Airport reported a sustained wind of 40 mph.
From 634 to 642 pm MST Wolf Point Airport reported a gust of 58 mph. From 700 to 753 pm MST McDonalds DOT reported a gust to 64 mph with sustained winds of 40 mph or higher for over two hours.
Eight miles north of Circle trained spotter reported sustained winds of 55 mph with a gust to 72 mph. Cow Creek DOT recorded sustained winds over 40 mph.
At least five fires were reported, with one caused by power lines down south/southeast of Glasgow. One barn was destroyed. The fires were at the Aitken Farm, Sullivan Park, near Brazil Creek, north of Frazer, and an old pit burn from a month ago south of Glentana re-erupted into sparks and created another fire. The main fires started around 1730 and final crews left scene/mop up around 4 am.
Bluff Creek RAWS northwest winds were sustained over 40 mph with a gust to 57 mph.
An observation from Fallon recorded a wind gust of 67 mph at 845 pm.
The Scobey Airport super-AWOS reported northwest winds sustained at 40 mph with a gust to 53 mph.
Fallon recorded a gust to 67 mph at 745 pm MST with sustained winds of 47 mph. Lindsay Divide DOT recorded sustained winds of 40 mph.
Comertown DOT northwest winds remained sustained above 40 mph for two hours with gusts over 50 mph. A 25 foot tree was snapped at its base in Plentywood.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 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: 219118, 219590, 219112, 219116, 219117, 219119, 219594, 219111, 219580, 219736, 219587, 219599, 219589.