A sharp surface pressure gradient resulted in high winds over Eastern Glacier County. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported.
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 TFX wrote it up.
A sharp surface pressure gradient resulted in high winds over Eastern Glacier County. Wind gusts in excess of 60 mph were reported.
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 Sep 26, 10:45 AM MST, 1 hour 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1145 AM MDT SUN SEP 26 2010 UPDATED AVIATION .DISCUSSION... NO UPDATE NEEDED THIS MORNING. SHORT WAVE ENERGY OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONTINUES TO TRACK EAST ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BOUNDARY. SURFACE WINDS SHOULD INCREASE THIS AFTERNOON AHEAD OF THE SHORT WAVE AND ANY PRECIPITATION THAT DEVELOPS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE AREA AROUND GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. EMANUEL && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1800Z. WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST AS A WEAK UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE FLATTENS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE. HIGH CLOUDS WILL INCREASE AND THICKEN THIS AFTERNOON WITH WINDS INCREASING AND BECOMING GUSTY AS WELL. THE WEAK TROUGH WILL BRING A BRIEF SHIFT IN WIND DIRECTION THIS EVENING FROM WEST-SOUTHWEST TO NORTHWEST BEFORE WINDS LIGHTEN AND SHIFT BACK TO THE SOUTHWEST TONIGHT. VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MLS && .PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 327 AM MDT SUN SEP 26 2010 TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY...WEAK UPPER LEVEL RIDGING OVER THE REGION WILL BE FLATTENED AS A SHORTWAVE TROUGH CURRENTLY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA MOVES EAST ALONG THE US/CANADIAN BORDER. THIS FEATURES MAIN IMPACT IN MY FORECAST AREA WILL BE GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS TODAY. THERE WILL ALSO BE INCREASING CLOUDS AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SHOWERS IN THE GLACIER PARK REGION. LATEST ANALYSIS OF CROSS BARRIER FLOW AND OTHER PARAMETERS SUCH AS FROUDE NUMBERS INDICATE THAT AREA WIDE SUSTAINED WIND SPEEDS AND GUSTS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW HIGH WIND CRITERIA AND THAT THERE IS ONLY A MINIMAL CHANCE FOR LOCALIZED DOWNSLOPE WINDSTORM EFFECTS. UPPER LEVEL RIDGING REBUILDS OVERNIGHT AND ON MONDAY...BUT A FAST FLOW ALOFT IS EXPECTED TO CONTINUE ACROSS MY NORTHWEST ZONES FOR BREEZY CONDITIONS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM PERIOD. THE COMBINATION OF UPPER LEVEL RIDGING AND DOWNSLOPE WARMING SHOULD CONTRIBUTE TO TEMPERATURES REMAINING WELL ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES ACROSS MY FORECAST AREA TODAY THROUGH TUESDAY. MPJ TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER PATTERN OVER THE WESTERN U.S. INTO NEXT WEEKEND...MAINTAINING DRY AND UNSEASONABLY WARM CONDITIONS THROUGH THE PERIOD. THE RIDGE IS FLATTENED SOMEWHAT TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY BY ENERGY TRAVERSING SW CANADA. AT THE SURFACE...THIS WILL ALLOW A WEAKENING DRY COOL FRONT TO MOVE SOUTH THROUGH THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY NIGHT. THE FRONT WILL BE PRECEDED BY GUSTY WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS TUESDAY EVENING...SHIFTING TO THE NW OVERNIGHT. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE EXTENDS FROM THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES SE THROUGH MT AND THE DAKOTAS THROUGH THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK...CREATING AND EASTERLY PRESSURE GRADIENT AND LIGHTER WINDS THROUGH AT LEAST FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL COOL SLIGHTLY ON WEDNESDAY COMPARED TO TUESDAYS VALUES BUT WILL REMAIN WELL ABOVE AVERAGE. EAST TO SOUTHEAST SURFACE WINDS WILL WORK AGAINST STRONGER WARMING ALOFT AS THE RIDGE RE-AMPLIFIES OVER THE WEST THURSDAY AND FRIDAY FOR ONLY A GRADUAL WARMING OF TEMPERATURES. EXPECT THE RIDGE AXIS TO SHIFT EAST OVER THE REGION BY THE WEEKEND WITH A LEE-SIDE SURFACE TROUGH INDICATING BETTER WARMING IN THE LOW LEVELS WITH TEMPERATURES AGAIN REACHING LEVELS NEARLY 15 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES. HOENISCH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 83 49 82 50 / 0 0 0 0 CTB 79 47 77 51 / 0 0 0 0 HLN 83 50 81 50 / 0 0 0 0 BZN 89 47 85 50 / 0 0 0 0 WEY 75 34 75 35 / 0 0 0 0 DLN 82 47 81 46 / 0 0 0 0 HVR 84 46 80 48 / 0 0 0 0 LWT 85 50 79 51 / 0 0 0 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...MPJ LONG TERM...HOENISCH AVIATION...HOENISCH WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 422 AM MDT SUN SEP 26 2010 MTZ009-010-048-271200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 422 AM MDT SUN SEP 26 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL INCREASE AHEAD OF A WEAK COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A DISTURBANCE MOVING ACROSS BRITISH COLUMBIA AND ALBERTA. SOUTHWEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED BY THIS AFTERNOON ALONG MUCH OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS INCLUDING EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY. SOME LOCATIONS SUCH AS EXPOSED RIDGETOPS...TERRAIN SADDLES AND CANYON MOUTHS MAY SEE OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 55 MPH. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO CONTINUE MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY ALONG MUCH OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND OVER THE ADJACENT PLAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-011>015-044>047-049>055-271200- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 422 AM MDT SUN SEP 26 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY 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.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 63 mph was reported at East Glacier 1ENE (the Two Medicine DOT site).
A wind gust to 59 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 8SE (the Deep Creek RAWS site - elevation 5341 feet).
A wind gust to 58 mph was reported at Cut Bank 3SW (the Cut Bank ASOS site).
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, September 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: 258854, 258855, 258856.