High winds were measured over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front, mostly in and around Glacier Park.
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.
High winds were measured over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front, mostly in and around Glacier Park.
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 Dec 13, 4:45 AM MST, 15 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 445 AM MST Thu Dec 13 2012 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION .DISCUSSION... THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY...A relatively quiet weather pattern will continue for the area through the end of the work week and into the weekend. A large scale trough continues to move across the area..however most of the energy capable of producing widespread precipitation will remain well to the south towards the Four Corners region of the United States. The best chance of precipitation will once again remain over the higher terrain especially in the mountains of Southwest Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front. Most of the area will be under the influence of breezy southwest winds that will create downslope conditions across North Central and Central Montana. Temperatures will remain seasonal mild under the dry conditions. Additional energy is expected to move across the area Saturday bringing a return to clouds and some mountain precipitation conditions over the plains are expected to remain relatively dry and mild. Suk SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...Medium range models remain in decent agreement though some differences in timing continue. Weak shortwave energy moves across the area late Saturday/early Sunday resulting in scattered snow in the mountains and isolated snow over the plains. Upper ridging takes place Monday and the warm advection that develops across the area will keep isolated snow showers in the picture. A lee side surface trof Monday and Monday night will result in breezy conditions at times. Southwest flow aloft develops over the area Tuesday as an upper trof moves to the Pacific Northwest. Dynamics associated with this feature are not significant and snow amounts will be very light. As the upper trof moves east of the area on Wednesday, an upper ridge rebuilds and ushers in a drier regime before shifting east on Thursday as yet another trof pushes onshore the west coast. Temperatures will remain near or slightly above seasonal averages. && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1145Z. Westerly flow aloft will continue. A weak disturbance aloft will move across the area today with precipitation being confined mainly to the western mountains and the higher terrain of Southwest Montana. Patchy morning fog is possible through 17z, mainly along open waterways and in low-lying areas. Surface winds will be gusty along the Rocky Mountain Front after 18z. VFR conditions prevail with MVFR/IFR conditions possible in areas with fog. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 39 23 38 20 / 0 0 0 10 CTB 34 14 34 11 / 0 0 10 10 HLN 35 15 33 17 / 10 0 0 10 BZN 35 17 36 18 / 30 20 10 20 WEY 30 20 30 18 / 50 50 30 50 DLN 35 20 35 19 / 10 10 10 10 HVR 32 12 29 11 / 10 0 0 10 LWT 38 20 39 15 / 10 0 0 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...SUK LONG TERM...EMANUEL AVIATION...EMANUEL weather.gov/greatfalls
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 910 PM MST WED DEC 12 2012 MTZ008>015-044>055-140415- BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL- CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON- TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 910 PM MST WED DEC 12 2012 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
3 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Peak wind gust of 61KT (70MPH) was reported 14 miles W of Saint Mary, MT at the Logan Pass Visitors Center.
High sustained winds of 35KT (40MPH) was reported 1 mile ENE of East Glacier Park, MT at the Two Medicine Bridge DOT sensor.
Peak high wind gust of 56KT (65MPH) was reported 8 miles SE of Glacier Park, MT at the Deep Creek RAWS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2012
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: 426392, 426393, 426394.