A strong westerly flow aloft produced gusty winds at the surface along the Rocky Mountain front and over the plains of Central Montana. Wind gusts in excess of 60 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 gusty winds at the surface along the Rocky Mountain front and over the plains of Central Montana. Wind gusts in excess of 60 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 Nov 10, 2:45 PM MST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 245 PM MST THU NOV 10 2011 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY...SEVERAL DISTURBANCES WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE THROUGH THE FLOW TONIGHT. A WEAK SHORTWAVE OVER THE EASTERN ZONES WILL EXIT THE CWA AND SURFACE WINDS WILL DIMINISH SOMEWHAT. TO THE WEST...AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE SHORTWAVE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL MOVE EAST INTO THE RIDGE OVER THE ZONES TONIGHT. SNOW SHOWERS WILL INCREASE OVER THE DIVIDE THIS EVENING BUT VERY LITTLE PRECIPITATION EAST OF THE DIVIDE IS EXPECTED. THIS SITUATION WILL CONTINUE TO BE HANDLED WITH WORDING IN THE HIGH WIND WARNING. A DEEPER SHORTWAVE WILL APPROACH THE ROCKIES FRIDAY AND ONCE AGAIN SURFACE WINDS WILL STRENGTHEN ACROSS THE REGION. VERY STRONG SUSTAINED WINDS SHOULD SPREAD ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ZONES. FOR NOW...WILL KEEP THE CURRENT HIGH WIND WARNING IN PLACE. THE LOW PRESSURE TROF TO THE WEST WILL BE CROSSING THE ROCKIES FRIDAY NIGHT. THE CHANCE OF PRECIP WILL INCREASE AS THE TROF APPROACHES...AND TEMPS WILL DROP SATURDAY AS IT MOVES EAST. STRONG DYNAMICS WILL BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROF FRIDAY NIGHT...STRONG LIFT FROM LEWIS AND CLARK THROUGH THE SOUTHWEST ZONES...THEN COOL UNSETTLED FLOW FROM THE NORTHWEST AS THE TROF PASSES. ZELZER SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...A RATHER UNSETTLED PATTERN WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MEDIUM RANGE PERIOD. MEDIUM RANGE MODELS SHOWING SOME DIFFERENCES IN THEIR SOLUTIONS...MAINLY WITH THE GFS BEING FASTER THAN THE EUROPEAN MODEL IN MOVING UPPER FEATURES ACROSS THE AREA. AN UPPER TROF IS EXITING THE AREA TO THE EAST ON SUNDAY WITH MOIST AND UNSTABLE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT BEING ESTABLISHED. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL REMAIN A POSSIBILITY. SHORT WAVE ENERGY EMBEDDED WITHIN THE CYCLONIC FLOW ALOFT WILL RESULT IN CONTINUED SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE MODELS HINT AT A BUILDING UPPER RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY THOUGH THE AREA WILL REMAIN UNDER AN UNSTABLE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AND A THREAT OF MORE SNOW SHOWERS. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES THROUGH THE PERIOD AND SNOW AMOUNTS WILL NOT BE SIGNIFICANT. && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1740Z. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT TAF SITES FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. STRONG WEST FLOW ALOFT WILL CONTINUE AS UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE BEGINS TO MOVE INTO THE AREA. SURFACE WINDS WILL REMAIN STRONG AND GUSTY OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS ACROSS THE HIGH PLAINS AND ESPECIALLY NEAR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. SHELTERED VALLEYS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL HAVE LIMITED EXPOSURE TO THE STRONGER WINDS...HOWEVER SOME GUSTY CONDITIONS COULD OCCUR BRIEFLY DURING THE AFTERNOON HOURS. SUK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 38 54 32 38 / 0 0 10 30 CTB 32 51 26 37 / 0 0 20 30 HLN 24 52 28 36 / 0 0 40 40 BZN 14 49 26 35 / 0 0 30 40 WEY 7 36 18 26 / 0 0 50 70 DLN 18 48 23 32 / 0 0 40 40 HVR 30 58 31 40 / 0 0 10 30 LWT 30 54 28 35 / 0 0 10 30 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY EASTERN GLACIER... FERGUS...JUDITH BASIN...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 233 PM MST THU NOV 10 2011 MTZ009-010-048-050-051-111200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 233 PM MST THU NOV 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT... EASTERN GLACIER...JUDITH BASIN...AND FERGUS COUNTIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE HIGH WIND WARNING WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. A SERIES OF PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL THEN BRING A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THIS WEEKEND INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND A BETTER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ011>014-044>047-049-054-111200- HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE- LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-MEAGHER- 233 PM MST THU NOV 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT GUSTY WESTERLY DOWNSLOPE WINDS WILL AFFECT NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA. THESE WINDS WILL LIKELY REMAIN BELOW HIGH WIND CRITERIA. SUSTAINED WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH ARE EXPECTED WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 50 MPH. HOWEVER...WINDS MAY GUST UP TO 55 MPH AT TIMES OVER RIDGE TOPS. THE MORE WIND PROTECTED VALLEYS OF LEWIS AND CLARK AND MEAGHER COUNTY WILL HAVE MUCH LIGHTER WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY THE GUSTY WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE DAY ON FRIDAY AND THEN DECREASE SOMEWHAT FRIDAY NIGHT. A SERIES OF PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL THEN BRING A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THIS WEEKEND INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND A BETTER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ008-015-052-053-055-111200- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-GALLATIN- 233 PM MST THU NOV 10 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A SERIES OF PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEMS WILL BRING A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN FOR THIS WEEKEND INTO THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK...BRINGING COOLER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES AND A BETTER CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 1ENE (the Two Medicine DOT site).
A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 1ENE (the Two Medicine DOT site).
A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at Geyser 2SSE (the Geyser DOT site).
A wind gust to 60 mph was reported at Denton 1ESE.
A wind gust to 62 mph was reported at Bynum 14W (the Dellwo MSCN site).
Sustained wind speeds over 40 mph for more than an hour were reported at the Norris Hill DOT 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, November 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: 352148, 352149, 352152, 352153, 352151, 352150.