A strong cold front moved across South Central and Southeast Montana during the late evening and early morning hours of the 12th and 13th. The strongest winds were along the foothills of the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains.
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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 BYZ wrote it up.
A strong cold front moved across South Central and Southeast Montana during the late evening and early morning hours of the 12th and 13th. The strongest winds were along the foothills of the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains.
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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 11, 10:35 PM MST, 3 hours 18 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1035 PM MST FRI FEB 11 2011
...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION...
.SHORT TERM...VALID FOR SAT AND SUN...
FORECAST LOOKS TO BE IN GOOD SHAPE THIS EVENING AND HAVE ONLY
MADE A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS TO THE GRIDS. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE
CONTINUES TO BUILD ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WITH ITS AXIS
STILL WEST OF MONTANA. THIS IS ALLOWING FOR A CONTINUED NORTHWEST
FLOW ALOFT OVER THE FORECAST AREA. SATELLITE SHOWING PLENTY OF
MID AND HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS STREAMING SOUTHEAST ALONG THE PERIPHERY
OF THE RIDGE. THESE WILL PROVIDE A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY TONIGHT BUT
NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED. MAIN FORECAST CONCERN TONIGHT
THROUGH THE WEEKEND WILL BE WINDS. PRESSURE GRADIENT FROM IDAHO
FALLS TO LEWISTOWN IS ALREADY 23MB INDICATIVE OF STRONG WINDS.
THIS IS ALREADY OCCURRING AT LIVINGSTON WHERE WINDS HAVE BEEN
SUSTAINED AT 40 MPH AND GUSTING TO 63 MPH A COUPLE OF TIMES THIS
EVENING. HOWEVER...PRESSURE GRADIENTS ARE EXPECTED TO GET EVEN
TIGHTER TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY RESULTING IN THE LIKELIHOOD OF
HIGH WINDS. WILL OPT NOT TO ISSUED A WIND ADVISORY AS A HIGH WIND
WARNING GOES INTO EFFECT AT MIDNIGHT FOR THE LIVINGSTON AND NYE
AREAS.
WILL CONTINUE WITH THE HIGH WIND WATCH FROM RED LODGE ACROSS THE
FOOTHILLS NORTH TO BIG TIMBER AND HARLOWTON FOR SATURDAY
AFTERNOON INTO SUNDAY MORNING AS A POWERFUL JET STREAM MOVES OVER
THE AREA. VERY STRONG WINDS JUST ABOVE THE SURFACE HAVE THE
POTENTIAL TO MIX DOWN AS LAPSE RATES DURING THIS TIME WILL BE
QUITE STEEP.
ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT EXPECT A MOSTLY CLOUDY SKY
ALONG WITH FAIRLY MILD TEMPERATURES COMPARED TO WHAT WAS
EXPERIENCED EARLIER THIS WEEK. HOOLEY
.LONG TERM...VALID FOR MON...TUE...WED...THU...FRI...
OVERALL TREND IN THE EXTENDED IS FOR A MILD AND GENERALLY DRY
PERIOD THROUGH THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK...THEN SLOWLY
TRANSITIONING TO A COOLER AND POSSIBLY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN.
FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY A RIDGE AXIS WILL DRIFT OVER THE REGION
LEADING TO ABOVE NORMAL TEMPS. GUIDANCE ENSEMBLES ARE EVEN MILD ON
THE LOWER MEMBERS WITH DECENT MIX DOWN POTENTIAL. THEREFORE...
WARMED UP TEMPS FOR THESE DAYS A FEW DEGREES.
BY WEDNESDAY THE EXTENDED RANGE MODELS MOVE THE RIDGE AXIS EAST
AND SW FLOW DEVELOPS OVER THE INTER MOUNTAIN REGION. THIS MAY
BRING IN SOME WEAK DISTURBANCES ALONG WITH PACIFIC MOISTURE.
HEIGHTS WILL CONTINUE TO FALL IN THE WEST AND GREAT BASIN AS A
BROAD TROUGH MOVES INTO THE WEST. MOIST SW FLOW WILL PREVAIL OVER
OUR SW MOUNTAINS AND SPREAD TO THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. GFS PROGS A
COLD FRONT BACK DOORING INTO THE FORECAST AREA WEDNESDAY AND THEN
OVERRUNS IT BY THE MOIST SW FLOW ON THURSDAY. HAVE THEREFORE...BUMPED
UP POPS AND KEPT TEMPS COOLER FOR THE LATTER PART OF THE WORK
WEEK. CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT THIS TRANSITION WILL TAKE
PLACE...BUT TIMING THE UPPER TROUGH MAY PROVE TRICKY AS THE ECMWF
KEEPS THE UPPER FLOW SOMEWHAT ANTI CYCLONIC LONGER THAN THE GFS.
NEVERTHELESS...A COOLER AND WETTER TREND SEEMS LIKELY LATE NEXT
WEEK. BT
&&
.AVIATION...
JUST A QUICK UPDATE TO GO ALONG WITH THE LATEST ISSUANCE OF
TERMINAL FORECASTS...VERY STRONG WINDS OUT OF THE
SOUTHWEST...OCCASIONALLY GUSTING OVER 60 KTS...WILL CONTINUE IN THE
BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS AND IN AND AROUND KLVM. THESE CONDITIONS CAN
BE EXPECTED THROUGHOUT THE REST OF THE NIGHT AND WELL INTO
SATURDAY. SUSTAINED WESTERLY WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED FROM JUDITH GAP
TO BIG TIMBER SATURDAY MORNING AND WILL PROGRESS EASTWARD TO NEAR
KMLS AND KBHK BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON. ADDED LOW LEVEL WIND SHEAR
WORDING TO KBIL AND KMLS TERMINALS BEGINNING AROUND DAYBREAK.
SINGER
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 029/049 034/050 029/052 033/054 029/044 025/034 017/031
00/N 00/N 00/B 01/B 23/R 34/S 22/J
LVM 034/050 040/049 033/052 034/051 028/042 025/038 016/033
10/N 11/N 01/N 11/N 23/O 34/O 22/J
HDN 023/047 029/048 021/050 026/053 026/044 024/036 016/032
00/B 00/B 00/U 01/B 13/R 33/S 22/J
MLS 027/046 029/046 025/048 027/054 028/040 020/030 013/024
10/B 00/B 00/B 01/B 12/O 23/S 32/J
4BQ 024/048 028/046 025/052 027/054 027/046 024/039 018/031
00/B 00/N 00/B 01/B 12/R 23/S 32/J
BHK 026/043 030/043 025/047 027/050 027/040 019/030 012/022
10/N 01/N 00/B 01/B 12/O 23/S 32/J
SHR 020/049 027/048 023/054 023/053 027/047 024/037 016/031
00/B 00/B 00/U 11/B 12/R 23/S 22/J
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING FOR ZONES 28-41-63.
HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH
SUNDAY MORNING FOR ZONE 56.
HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY FOR ZONES
65-66.
WY...NONE.
&&
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGSHAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT 300 PM MST FRI FEB 11 2011 MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-122200- SOUTHERN WHEATLAND-MUSSELSHELL-TREASURE-NORTHERN ROSEBUD-CUSTER- FALLON-NORTHERN STILLWATER-YELLOWSTONE-POWDER RIVER-CARTER- SOUTHERN BIG HORN-EASTERN CARBON-NORTHERN PARK- NORTHERN SWEET GRASS-GOLDEN VALLEY-RED LODGE FOOTHILLS- NORTHERN BIG HORN-SOUTHERN ROSEBUD-JUDITH GAP-PARADISE VALLEY- LIVINGSTON AREA-BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS-ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS- CRAZY MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS-SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS- 300 PM MST FRI FEB 11 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL WYOMING. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT STRONG WEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS THIS EVENING AND BECOME VERY STRONG OVERNIGHT. THE WINDS WILL AFFECT MAINLY THE LIVINGSTON AND NYE AREAS WHERE WIND GUSTS TO 65 MPH WILL BE POSSIBLE LATE TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY VERY STRONG WEST WINDS WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS AND LIVINGSTON VICINITY THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY NIGHT...AND POSSIBLY INTO SUNDAY. GUSTS UP TO 75 MPH ARE EXPECTED IN THESE AREAS AT TIMES AFFECTING INTERSTATE 90 FROM SPRINGDALE TO LIVINGSTON. VERY STRONG WEST WINDS ARE ALSO EXPECTED FROM BIG TIMBER NORTH TO HARLOWTON SATURDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT. DANGEROUS CROSS WINDS AND OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO 60 MPH WILL MAKE TRAVEL HAZARDOUS ACROSS THIS AREA. LOOK FOR SOMEWHAT WEAKER WINDS OVER THE REST OF THE PLAINS THIS WEEKEND...INCLUDING THE BILLINGS AREA WHERE OCCASIONAL GUSTS TO NEAR 50 MPH ARE STILL POSSIBLE. WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DECREASE OVER THE ENTIRE REGION BY SUNDAY 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. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2011
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: 287417, 287416, 287415, 287410, 287405, 287400, 287402, 286872, 287388, 287407, 287409, 287392.