Strong westerly winds aloft produced high winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts in excess of 80 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.
Strong westerly winds aloft produced high winds along the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Wind gusts in excess of 80 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 24, 10:30 AM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1030 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .DISCUSSION... LATEST DATA SUGGESTS PRECIPITATION WILL BE SLOWER TO DEVELOP OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS SO HAVE LOWERED THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION IN THAT AREA FOR THE REST OF THIS MORNING. OTHERWISE NO CHANGES PLANNED FOR THIS UPDATE. BLANK && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1730Z. MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL INCREASE ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL... CENTRAL...AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH 03Z AS A DISTURBANCE APPROACHES THE AREA IN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. CONDITIONS WILL MOSTLY BE VFR DURING THIS TIME WITH ONLY MOUNTAIN TOPS BEING OBSCURED BY INCREASING CLOUDS/SNOW. GUSTY WEST-SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL ALSO INCREASE OVER THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL/CENTRAL MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON...ESPECIALLY ALONG THE EAST SLOPES OF THE ROCKIES WEST OF A KCTB-KGTF LINE WHERE GUSTS COULD REACH 60 KT. WINDS WILL DECREASE AGAIN AFTER 01Z...BUT THE CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL INCREASE OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE MOUNTAIN AREAS OF WESTERN AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA AS THE DISTURBANCE MOVES THROUGH THAT AREA. THIS WILL GENERALLY CAUSE MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION AND ALSO REDUCE CONDITIONS AT LEAST TO MVFR AT TIMES AT KHLN/KBZN. OVER THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL/CENTRAL MONTANA...MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS WILL INCREASE DURING THIS TIME...BUT CONDITIONS WILL GENERALLY REMAIN VFR AND PRECIPITATION IS UNLIKELY TO AFFECT THESE TERMINALS (KCTB KHVR KGTF KLWT). COULSTON && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 825 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011/ UPDATE... DEEP CREEK RAWS IN THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT HAS GUSTED TO 54 KNOTS AND A FEW NEARBY AREAS ARE CLOSE TO HIGH WIND CRITERIA SO HAVE ISSUED A HIGH WIND WARNING. BLANK DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 445 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011/ TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AN UPPER LEVEL HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY. MOISTURE WILL BE MOVING INTO THE RIDGE AHEAD OF A LOW PRESSURE SHORTWAVE OVER THE EASTERN PACIFIC. THIS SHORTWAVE WILL MOVE OVER THE WEST COAST AROUND 00Z TUE AND CROSS THE ROCKIES TUESDAY MORNING. DYNAMICS ARE NOT PARTICULARLY STRONG WITH THIS SHORTWAVE...BUT STRONGEST LIFT WILL BE OVER THE ZONES AFTER MIDNIGHT TUESDAY THROUGH NOON TUESDAY. THE AIRMASS REMAINS RATHER WARM AND SOME PRECIP WILL CONTINUE TO FALL AS RAIN AS SURFACE TEMPS COOL BELOW FREEZING MONDAY NIGHT...AND A SLIGHT CHANCE OF FREEZING RAIN WILL EXIST OVER PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA. A TIGHT SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT WILL SET UP ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE WITH A SURFACE LEE TROF ALONG THE LEE SLOPES. BRISK WEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. THIS SHOULD BE MORE OF A SUSTAINED WIND SITUATION RATHER THAN HIGH GUSTS. THE SURFACE GRADIENT LOOSENS AFTER TUESDAY MIDNIGHT. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BUILD AGAIN TUESDAY AND REMAIN IN PLACE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. ZELZER WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...EXPECT A RATHER QUIET AND MILD PERIOD OF WEATHER FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT...BEFORE THINGS GET A BIT MORE ACTIVE AND UNSETTLED BEGINNING ON FRIDAY. WITH AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE REGION ON THURSDAY...EXPECT ONE MORE MILD AFTERNOON BUT A WINDY DAY OVER THE REGION. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR HIGH WINDS AT LEAST OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT IF NOT FARTHER EAST...AND THIS WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. FOR FRIDAY THROUGH MONDAY...GENERALLY THE GFS/ECMWF HAVE DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS...AND THUS WENT MORE WITH A COMPROMISE BETWEEN THE TWO MODELS. OVERALL...COOLER TEMPERATURES SHOULD START TO MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION ON FRIDAY...WITH SEASONABLE AIR RESIDING OVER THE REGION FOR THE WEEKEND. THE COOLEST AIR WILL BE FOUND IN THE HAVRE AREA...WHILE SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL BE COOLER THAN IT HAS BEEN...BUT STILL COULD HAVE AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES A FEW DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL THIS WEEKEND. IN TERMS OF SNOWFALL...EXPECT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE REGION THIS WEEKEND...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR SNOW IN THE MOUNTAINS. AS OF NOW...NO MODEL INDICATES ANY SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL THIS WEEKEND...THUS LOW CHANCES OF POPS...BUT WE WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS. BRUSDA .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 42 31 45 28 / 0 30 20 10 CTB 41 29 40 25 / 0 20 20 10 HLN 38 27 42 22 / 0 50 30 20 BZN 34 19 39 16 / 0 60 40 20 WEY 24 12 28 14 / 0 70 40 20 DLN 33 20 38 19 / 10 60 40 10 HVR 34 23 33 18 / 0 20 20 10 LWT 38 28 38 23 / 0 30 30 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && SHORT TERM...BLANK LONG TERM...COULSTON AVIATION...COULSTON WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 844 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011 MTZ010>013-044>047-049>051-251545- EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 844 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THERE IS A LOW PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTER A MILD AND MOSTLY DRY PERIOD OF WEATHER EXPECTED FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...COOLER CANADIAN AIR...ALONG WITH A CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION BEGINNING ON FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND WILL BE MORE JANUARY LIKE...WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES EXPECTED UP IN THE HAVRE AND HARLEM AREAS. SNOWFALL IS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT OVER THE WEEKEND...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-014-015-052>055-251545- BEAVERHEAD-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-JEFFERSON- BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 844 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY 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. MTZ009-048-251545- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 844 AM MST MON JAN 24 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM MST. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY AFTER A MILD AND MOSTLY DRY PERIOD OF WEATHER EXPECTED FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...COOLER CANADIAN AIR...ALONG WITH A CHANCE FOR SNOW WILL MOVE BACK INTO THE REGION BEGINNING ON FRIDAY. TEMPERATURES OVER THE WEEKEND WILL BE MORE JANUARY LIKE. SNOWFALL IS GENERALLY EXPECTED TO BE LIGHT OVER THE WEEKEND...WITH THE BEST CHANCE FOR ACCUMULATING SNOWFALL IN THE MOUNTAINS. .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 81 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: 278462.