High Wind in Montana, November 16, 2010

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 16, 2010
Start: 2010-11-16T04:15
End: 2010-11-16T09:45
Location: Montana

November 16, 2010 · NWS TFX · 12 events in 7 counties and zones

A tight surface gradient contributed to high winds along portions of North-Central Montana. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 12

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.

A tight surface gradient contributed to high winds along portions of North-Central Montana. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were 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 16, 3:39 AM MST, 36 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 16, 3:39 AM MST, 36 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 15, 5:00 PM MST, 11 hours 15 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

Event by event

12 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: November 16, 4:15 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Reported by: County Official

A wind gust to 78 mph was reported at the Choteau airport.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: November 16, 5:00 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

A wind gust to 59 mph was reported at Pendroy 1N (DOT site).

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 16, 5:56 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

A wind gust to 62 mph was reported at the Cut Bank ASOS site.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: November 16, 6:05 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 71 mph was reported at Choteau 8ENE.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 16, 6:20 AM MST to 7:20 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 37 kt (43 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: ASOS

Sustained winds of 43 mph were reported at the Cut Bank ASOS site.

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: November 16, 7:49 AM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 70 mph was reported east-northeast of Valier. Tree limbs were also reported down in Valier at 0815.

High Wind, Toole

When: November 16, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 63 mph was reported at Ferdig 9E.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: November 16, 8:35 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Public

Tree limbs and trees were reported down at Fairfield 8WSW. Power lines were also reported down.

High Wind, Cascade

When: November 16, 8:55 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

A wind gust to 61 mph was reported at the Great Falls ASOS site.

High Wind, Chouteau

When: November 16, 8:55 AM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 70 mph was reported at The Knees 11ENE.

High Wind, Toole

When: November 16, 9:30 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Mesonet

A wind gust to 60 mph was rerported at Devon 7NW.

High Wind, Liberty

When: November 16, 9:45 AM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at Chester 21S.

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 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 2010

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 264968, 264309, 264310, 264311, 264299, 264303, 264301, 264305, 264306, 264307, 264302, 264304.