A strong westerly flow aloft produced high winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts to 62 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 along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts to 62 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 Jan 12, 10:30 AM MST, 3 hours 51 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1030 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 .UPDATED FOR AVIATION... TODAY...AN UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVE MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW ALOFT WILL CROSS THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY AND APPROACH THE ROCKIES. MOISTURE OVER THE ROCKIES WILL SPREAD EAST AS THIS WAVE APPROACHES. THIS WILL INCREASE THE MOISTURE OVER THE ROCKIES AND THE CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THAT AREA WILL BE CONTINUED. WILL RAISE A FEW TEMPS ACROSS THE PLAINS THAT HAVE BEEN QUICK TO RISE. ZELZER && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1730Z. MOIST WEST TO NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING MID AND HIGH CLOUDS ACROSS THE AREA. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW WILL DEVELOP AFTER 18Z WITH HEAVIEST SNOWS AND GUSTY WINDS OCCURRING ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN OF SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY. SURFACE WINDS OVER THE PLAINS WILL ALSO BECOME GUSTY THIS AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH INCREASING AREAS OF MVFR DUE TO LOW CEILINGS AND SNOW AFTER 20Z. MOUNTAINS WILL BE OBSCURED THROUGH THE PERIOD. WILLIAMSON DC && .HYDROLOGY... FLOODING HAS OCCURRED ALONG THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS IN MADISON COUNTY AND HAS AFFECTED PARTS OF HIGHWAY 287. THE RIVER IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN ABOVE BANK-FULL AND THUS THE FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND LOCAL OFFICIALS WILL CONTINUE TO CLOSELY MONITOR THE SITUATION. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 440 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011/ TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...MOISTURE CONTINUES TO GRADUALLY INCREASE OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL ABOVE 5000 FEET DEVELOPING LATER THIS MORNING. AS A RESULT...A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND CENTRAL LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY REMAINS IN EFFECT. DOWN-SLOPING WINDS OVER THE PLAINS SHOULD LIMIT SNOWFALL AMOUNTS SO NO OTHER WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED. EVEN WITHOUT HIGHLIGHTS...EXPECT OFF AND ON SNOWFALL TO OCCUR ACROSS THE PLAINS AS WELL AS THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH FRIDAY. A WARMER PACIFIC AIRMASS CONTINUES TO MAKE ITS WAY TOWARDS THE REGION AND BUT THERE REMAINS SOME UNCERTAINTY AS TO THE TRACK OF THIS BOUNDARY AS IT MOVES INTO CENTRAL MONTANA. COLDER TEMPERATURES NORTH AND EAST OF THE BOUNDARY WILL ALLOW FOR PRIMARILY SNOW IN THE NORTHEAST PORTION OF THE CWA. A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IS EXPECTED ALONG THE BOUNDARY. A PERIOD OF FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET LATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY MORNING IS ALSO POSSIBLE AS WARM AIR ALOFT MOVES IN OVER A COLDER SURFACE AIRMASS. OVER THE PERIOD EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO RISE SIGNIFICANTLY AS HIGHS WILL BE IN THE UPPER 20S TO LOW 30S AND MOST LOWS WILL ONLY DROP INTO THE MID TO UPPER 20S. FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS CONTINUING TO SHOW SOME CONSISTENCY THOUGH DETAILS REGARDING PLACEMENT OF COLD INTRUSIONS AND SNOW BANDS REMAIN DIFFICULT. GENERALLY THE PATTERN WILL BE ONE WITH MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT PERSISTING OVER THE AREA AND SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING THROUGH FROM TIME TO TIME. SNOW THAT DEVELOPS OVER THE AREA FRIDAY NIGHT MOVES EAST ON SATURDAY LEAVING BEHIND SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS AND COOL TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE NORTH. SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING INTO WESTERN MONTANA SUNDAY WILL BRING ANOTHER ROUND OF SNOW TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS TO THE EAST. SCATTERED SNOW REMAINS A POSSIBILITY MONDAY AS COLD AIR REMAINS OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST MONTANA. ANOTHER SHORT WAVE APPROACHES WESTERN MONTANA TUESDAY AND BRINGS INCREASING CHANCES OF SNOW TO THE ROCKIES BEFORE SPREADING EAST DURING THE DAY. SCATTERED LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES WITH ONLY PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA HAVING ANY HOPE OF SEEING SOME AFTERNOON HIGHS ABOVE FREEZING. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 30 21 35 30 / 30 30 40 50 CTB 25 14 26 20 / 30 30 50 50 HLN 28 22 31 22 / 50 40 60 50 BZN 27 19 30 20 / 40 40 60 50 WEY 19 14 27 19 / 60 80 90 80 DLN 26 22 33 24 / 60 50 60 50 HVR 14 4 17 14 / 30 30 40 60 LWT 26 18 33 26 / 20 30 60 50 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST FRIDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 411 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 MTZ009-014-048-131115- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 411 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT AT 8AM MST THIS MORNING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING WILL BE IN EFFECT UNTIL 5AM MST FRIDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ015-131115- MADISON- 411 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP TODAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY A FLOOD WARNING FOR THE MADISON RIVER NEAR ENNIS WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE. OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL LAST INTO FRIDAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ011-013-044-045-047-131115- HILL-CHOUTEAU-TOOLE-LIBERTY-BLAINE- 411 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 AM MST THIS MORNING. OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP TODAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL LAST INTO FRIDAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-010-012-046-049>055-131115- BEAVERHEAD-EASTERN GLACIER-CASCADE-EASTERN PONDERA-EASTERN TETON- JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 411 AM MST WED JAN 12 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL DEVELOP TODAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY OFF AND ON SNOWFALL WILL LAST INTO FRIDAY. DRIVING CONDITIONS MAY BE IMPACTED AT TIMES IN HEAVIER SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 62 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 8SE (the Deep Creek RAWS site).
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, January 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: 273632.