Montana, 2010

High Wind in Montana, November 30, 2010

November 30, 2010 · NWS TFX · 2 events in 1 county or zone

Strong mid-level winds, an upper trough, and a strengthening surface gradient combined to produce high winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 mid-level winds, an upper trough, and a strengthening surface gradient combined to produce high winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. 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 30, 4:28 AM MST, 5 hours 1 minute earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 30, 4:28 AM MST, 5 hours 1 minute before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 30, 4:13 AM MST, 5 hours 16 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 30, 5:56 AM MST, 3 hours 33 minutes before
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Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
November 30, 9:29 AM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Department of Highways

A wind gust to 61 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 1ENE (the Two Medicine DOT site).

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
November 30, 10:21 AM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

A wind gust to 78 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 8SE (the Deep Creel RAWS site - elevation 5340 feet).

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 264808, 264810.