A strong westerly flow aloft produced high winds in the area just south of Glacier National Park. Wind gusts to 67 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 strong westerly flow aloft produced high winds in the area just south of Glacier National Park. Wind gusts to 67 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 Feb 21, 5:00 AM MST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 500 AM MST MON FEB 21 2011 .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...CENTRAL MT REMAINS ALONG THE FAR WESTERN BOUNDARY OF A BROAD UPPER LEVEL TROF CENTERED OVER THE UPPER MIDWEST STATES. DIFFUSE AREA OF MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROF CONTINUES TO PRODUCE MIX OF HIGH AND LOW CLOUD COVER...ALONG WITH A FEW AREAS OF FLURRIES/LIGHT SNOW MAINLY OVER ERN CHOUTEAU COUNTY. FORECAST MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE UPPER TROF SHOULD SLOWLY DEPART TO THE EAST...MAKING FOR MOSTLY DRY AND PARTLY CLOUDY CONDITIONS OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MT TODAY. AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP IN THE LEE OF THE ROCKIES WHICH WILL SHIFT SURFACE WINDS TO THE SOUTHWEST AND INCREASE WIND SPEEDS THIS AFTN FROM THE ROCKY MTN FRONT SOUTHEASTWARD TO GREAT FALLS AND ON TOWARD JUDITH GAP. COMBINING THESE WINDS WITH THE VERY LIGHT SNOWFALL FROM THIS PAST WEEKEND WILL RESULT IN LOCALIZED AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. THE SAME WINDS WILL ALSO BRING SOME WARMER TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION...WITH MOST OF THE REGION MAKING IT TO THE MID-UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S TODAY. THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO WESTERN MT ON TUES MORNING AND GRADUALLY CROSS THE DIVIDE DURING TUES AFTN/EVE. WIDESPREAD LIGHT SNOW WILL REDEVELOP ACROSS OUR REGION AT THAT TIME AND CONTINUE INTO WEDNESDAY. EXPECT ABOUT 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW OVER THE PLAINS AND VALLEYS AND 4 TO 6 INCHES IN THE MTNS BY WED EVE. AFTER ANOTHER DAY OF HIGHS IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S ON TUES...TEMPS WILL COOL BACK INTO SINGLE DIGITS FROM GREAT FALLS TO THE HILINE WITH TEENS TO LOW 20S OVER SOUTHWEST MT AS A CANADIAN AIRMASS WILL ACCOMPANY THE MID-WEEK WEATHER SYSTEM. WARANAUSKAS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...MODELS BEGIN THE PERIOD WITH A BROAD TROUGH OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP MOISTURE MOVING INTO THE REGION. THE MAIN PACIFIC LOW WILL DRIFT SOUTH ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST THROUGH SUNDAY. MODELS DISAGREE AT THIS POINT AS TO THE EXACT TRACK THIS SYSTEM WILL TAKE INLAND BUT IT SEEMS LIKELY THAT IT WILL GO SOUTH OF MONTANA. HOWEVER...WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE HANGING OVER THE REGION...CONTINUED TO INCREASE POPS OVER MUCH OF THE REGION THROUGH THURSDAY. WITH THE EVENTUAL EXPECTED TRACK OF THE LOW SOUTH OF MONTANA...EXPECT NORTH-CENTRAL MONTANA TO STAY SOMEWHAT DRIER SO KEPT POPS NEARER TO CLIMATOLOGY. THIS LARGE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM LOOKS TO AFFECT THE REGION IN ONE FORM OR ANOTHER THROUGH SUNDAY WITH COLD AIR MOVING INTO THE REGION FROM CANADA. TEMPERATURES WILL BE SHARPLY COLDER WITH HIGHS DROPPING INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS AND LOWS WELL BELOW ZERO THROUGH SATURDAY. SUNDAY AND MONDAY LOOK TO BEGIN A SLIGHT WARMING TREND WITH HIGHS REACHING BACK INTO THE 20S. && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1200Z. PATCHY LIGHT SNOW WITH OCCASIONAL MVFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO TAPER OFF ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS MORNING. VFR CONDITIONS SHOULD PREVAIL FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS BUT INCREASING SOUTHWESTERLY SURFACE WINDS WILL SPREAD EAST ACROSS THE AREA TODAY POSSIBLY CAUSING AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW. && .HYDROLOGY...ICE JAM FLOODING ON THE JEFFERSON RIVER HAS BEEN REPORTED NEAR SILVER STAR IN NORTHWEST MADISON COUNTY...PROMPTING ISSUANCE OF AN AREAL FLOOD WARNING THERE. ADDITIONAL STREAM RISES SHOULD BE SLOW AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 30 17 30 5 / 10 10 40 70 CTB 26 16 23 -1 / 0 10 30 60 HLN 31 16 33 13 / 10 10 40 50 BZN 28 14 31 9 / 10 10 30 50 WEY 20 7 23 5 / 30 20 60 60 DLN 29 12 28 9 / 10 10 40 40 HVR 21 14 25 2 / 0 0 20 50 LWT 28 14 31 5 / 10 10 20 70 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... FLOOD WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL AT LEAST 10 AM MST MONDAY FOR THE JEFFERSON RIVER IN MADISON COUNTY NEAR THE TOWN OF SILVER STAR. && SHORT TERM...WARANAUSKAS LONG TERM...GUSTAFSON AVIATION...GUSTAFSON WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 432 AM MST MON FEB 21 2011 MTZ015-221145- MADISON- 432 AM MST MON FEB 21 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. AN FLOOD WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING ALONG THE JEFFERSON RIVER SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF SILVER STAR DUE TO ICE JAM CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA ON TUESDAY. PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY...PRODUCING ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND IMPACTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GREAT FALLS. MTZ008>014-044>055-221145- BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL- CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE- LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER- GALLATIN- 432 AM MST MON FEB 21 2011 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...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AN UPPER LEVEL WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE EAST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE ON TUESDAY. PERIODS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE EXPECTED FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY...PRODUCING ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES IN THE VALLEYS AND PLAINS AND 4 TO 8 INCHES IN THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS AND IMPACTS TO THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE OFFICE IN GREAT FALLS.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 67 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 8SE (the Deep Creek RAWS site - elevation 5341 feet).
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: 282077.