A very strong westerly flow aloft produced high winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts in excess of 70 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 very strong westerly flow aloft produced high winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts in excess of 70 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 14, 10:50 PM MST, 6 hours 31 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1050 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011 .UPDATE... CANCELLED WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR HILL AND BLAINE COUNTIES THIS EVENING AS MOISTURE PUSHES EASTWARD AND OUT OF THE AREA. ELSEWHERE...AREAS OF FREEZING FOG WILL DEVELOP WITH VISIBILITIES LESS THAN ONE MILE AT TIMES AND LOCALLY DENSE. GUSTY WINDS HAVE BEEN REPORTED IN THE SILVER CITY AREA BUT GIVEN THE HIGHLY LOCALIZED NATURE HAVE OPTED AGAINST A HIGH WIND WARNING FOR NOW UNLESS MORE DATA INDICATES WIDESPREAD HIGH WINDS. LIGHT SNOW WILL CONTINUE ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT WITH ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 4 INCHES THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING POSSIBLE SO HAVE KEPT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY ABOVE 5000 FEET THROUGH SATURDAY MORNING. OTHERWISE...AN ARCTIC BOUNDARY OVER CENTRAL MONTANA CONTINUES TO FLUCTUATE BUT SHOULD REMAIN STATIONARY OVERNIGHT WITH ARCTIC AIRMASS PERSISTING FROM JUST SOUTH OF CTB- GTF-LWT LINE AND ALL AREAS NORTH. COLD AIR SHOULD GRADUALLY RETREAT ON SATURDAY. DEBATED A WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR NORTH- CENTRAL MONTANA BUT WINDS AT THE MOMENT ARE FAIRLY LIGHT AND WIND CHILL VALUES ARE IN THE TEENS TO NEAR 20 BELOW ZERO SO HAVE HELD OFF FOR THE TIME BEING. REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST IS ON TRACK SO MADE NO FURTHER CHANGES. MLS && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0550Z. MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL KEEP A WIDESPREAD MIX OF CLOUD COVER WITH MVFR/IFR CEILINGS NORTH AND EAST OF A KCTB-KGTF-KLWT LINE AND VFR CONDITIONS SOUTH OF THAT LINE. THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY IS EXPECTED TO MEANDER BACK AND FORTH OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS WITH OCCASIONAL FLUCTUATIONS IN CEILING AND CLOUD COVER. AREAS OF LIGHT SNOW ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH MOUNTAINS EXPECTED TO BE GENERALLY OBSCURED THROUGH THE PERIOD. MPJ && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 445 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011/ TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...MAJOR FORECAST CHALLENGE WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE LOCATION OF AN ARCTIC FRONTAL BOUNDARY AND ASSOCIATED TEMPERATURE FLUCTUATIONS WHICH HAS SETTLED SOUTHWARD ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA TODAY...EXTENDING FROM JUST NORTH OF THE HELENA VALLEY EASTWARD ACROSS THE NORTH FLANK OF THE LITTLE BELTS AS OF EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. THIS COLD AIRMASS IS LIKELY CURRENTLY AT ITS PEAK DEPTH AND SHOULD GRADUALLY SHALLOW/RETREAT BACK TO THE LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY. WARM WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY ERODE THE COLD AIRMASS FROM ABOVE AND FROM THE SW THROUGH THE DAY ON SATURDAY WITH SW PORTIONS OF N-CENTRAL MT LIKELY SEEING WARMING BY SATURDAY AFTN/EVE...WITH STRONGER WEST WINDS ARRIVING SUNDAY AND LIKELY ENTIRELY SWEEPING THE COLD AIRMASS OUT OF THE REMAINDER OF NORTH CENTRAL MT BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON(AT LEAST TEMPORARILY). SOUTH OF THIS BOUNDARY...RELATIVELY MILD CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE. MOIST WNW FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE TO BRING OROGRAPHICALLY ENHANCED PRECIP TO AREAS ALONG AND WEST OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WITH ANOTHER AREA OF GENERALLY LIGHT SNOW AFFECTING HILL AND BLAINE COUNTIES WHERE THE MOIST FLOW ALOFT OVERRUNS A DEEPER PORTION OF THE COLD AIRMASS THAT EXTENDS NE INTO THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES. WINTER WX ADVISORIES WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TONIGHT FOR THESE AREAS WITH PRECIP EXPECTED TO END IN NE ZONES SATURDAY MORNING AND DIMINISH OVER THE ROCKY MTN FRONT REGION. PRECIP WILL INTENSIFY AGAIN ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SATURDAY NIGHT AS A STRONGER BUNDLE OF UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND JET MAXIMUM APPROACHES FROM THE WEST. THIS WILL LEAD TO LEE-SIDE SURFACE LOW DEVELOPMENT OVER CENTRAL/EASTERN MT ON SUNDAY WITH WIDESPREAD MTN PRECIPITATION AND SCATTERED LOWER ELEVATION SHOWERS. STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCOMING UPPER LEVEL ENERGY AND SFC LOW DEVELOPMENT WILL LIKELY REQUIRE WIND HIGHLIGHTS FOR AREAS ALONG THE ROCKY MTN FRONT LATE SUNDAY INTO SUNDAY NIGHT. HOENISCH SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...ONCE AGAIN THE MAIN FORECAST PROBLEM WILL BE THE BATTLE BETWEEN THE RELATIVELY MILD PACIFIC AIRMASS AND THE COLD CANADIAN AIRMASS. THE ECMWF AND GFS MODELS ARE ACTUALLY IN PRETTY GOOD AGREEMENT ON WHERE THE FRONT BETWEEN THESE TWO AIRMASSES WILL LIE AT LEAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE TWO MODELS HAVE ALMOST ALL THE FORECAST AREA IN MILD AIR ON SUNDAY. THEN THE COLD AIRMASS SPREADS SOUTH SUNDAY NIGHT REACHING ALMOST AS FAR SOUTH AS HELENA BY EARLY MONDAY. THEN THE MILD AIRMASS GRADUALLY PUSHES NORTHEAST LATE MONDAY INTO TUESDAY POSSIBLY REACHING AS FAR NORTHEAST AS HAVRE. THEN THE COLD AIRMASS SPREADS SOUTH TUESDAY NIGHT. THE ECMWF GRADUALLY PUSHES THE MILD AIRMASS NORTHEAST THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THE PREVIOUS RUN OF THE GFS ALSO PUSHED MILD AIR NORTHEAST BUT HAD YET ANOTHER SHOT OF COLD AIR SPREAD SOUTH OVER THE PLAINS ON THURSDAY. HOWEVER THE LATEST RUN OF THE GFS IS MORE IN LINE WITH THE ECMWF IN THAT IT KEEPS THE AREA IN MILD AIR ON THURSDAY. AS FAR AS PRECIPITATION GOES THE MOUNTAINS SHOULD RECEIVE SIGNIFICANT SNOW SUNDAY INTO MONDAY WITH THE EAST SLOPES RECEIVING LESSER AMOUNTS. THE GEM/ECMWF/GFS MODELS ALL HAVE A DECENT AMOUNT OF PRECIPITATION OVER NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA SUNDAY AND SUNDAY NIGHT SO HAVE INCREASED THE CHANCES OF SNOW IN THAT REGION. MODELS ARE IN AGREEMENT IN DECREASING PRECIPITATION OVER THE AREA AFTER MIDWEEK WHICH IS IN LINE WITH THE INHERITED FORECAST TREND. HOWEVER AM LEERY OF GOING DRY OVER THE PLAINS LATER IN THE WEEK PER THE INHERITED FORECAST SO HAVE MENTIONED A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. BLANK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF -2 33 28 47 / 10 10 30 20 CTB -7 13 13 45 / 10 10 20 10 HLN 33 40 33 46 / 10 10 30 40 BZN 36 40 31 42 / 10 50 30 60 WEY 21 33 23 29 / 70 90 70 90 DLN 33 37 32 44 / 10 10 30 60 HVR -6 0 -1 27 / 40 60 10 30 LWT -3 28 21 44 / 10 10 20 40 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 953 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011 MTZ009-048-160500- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 953 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT ABOVE 5000 FEET UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY IS LOW FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-010>015-044>047-049>055-160500- BEAVERHEAD-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 953 PM MST FRI JAN 14 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 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.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 73 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: 278467.