A strong flow aloft produced high winds at the DOT site in Madison County. Sustained winds of 45 mph and gusts to 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 flow aloft produced high winds at the DOT site in Madison County. Sustained winds of 45 mph and gusts to 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 Jan 20, 9:08 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 908 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 .UPDATE... THE ONLY CHANGE TO THE FORECAST EARLIER THIS EVENING WAS TO MODIFY SOME FORECAST LOWS FOR TONIGHT. IN PARTICULAR LOWERED THE FORECAST LOW AT HAVRE AND RAISED IT AT GREAT FALLS WHERE MILD AIR HAS MADE IT TO THE HILL ABOVE TOWN. LATEST NAM MODEL GUIDANCE HAS BACKED OFF ON THE THREAT FOR HIGH WINDS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. SO RATHER THAN UPGRADING THE HIGH WIND WATCH TO A WARNING WILL CONTINUE IT AS A WATCH AND LET MIDNIGHT SHIFT LOOK AT MORE DATA BEFORE MAKING A FINAL DECISION. IN THE UPDATED STATEMENT FOR THE HIGH WIND WATCH WILL MENTION THE POTENTIAL FOR TRAVEL PROBLEMS FROM SNOW DRIFTING ACROSS ROADS. BLANK && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0000Z. THE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUE TO LIFT NORTH OF KLWT AND KGTF THIS EVENING WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES AND INCREASING WINDS. NORTH OF THE FRONT WINDS WILL REMAIN OUT OF THE EAST-SOUTHEAST AND SHIFT WEST-SOUTHWEST SOUTH OF THE FRONT. BY SATURDAY MORNING WINDS WILL BE OUT OF THE WEST-SOUTHWEST ALL ACROSS THE AREA. THE INCREASING WINDS WILL LEAD TO AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...WHICH MAY REDUCE VISIBILITIES AT TIMES OVER TAF SITES ACROSS NORTH-CENTRAL MONTANA. WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY MAY ALLOW FOR A FEW SHOWERS AT KHLN AND KBZN AND WITH WARMING TEMPERATURES PRECIPITATION MAY BE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW. OVERALL...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED...HOWEVER BRIEF INTRUSIONS OF MVFR IN BLOWING SNOW AND PRECIPITATION ARE POSSIBLE. MLV && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 736 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012/ FXUS65 KTFX 210236 AFDTFX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 736 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 UPDATE... HAVE UPDATED ENTIRE SHORT TERM FORECAST. THIS INCLUDES THE PERIODS FROM TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. SOME OF THE CHANGES INCLUDE LOWERING THE CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE PLAINS TONIGHT AND IN THE SAME AREA SATURDAY AFTERNOON. A THREAT OF SNOW WAS ADDED TO NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FOR LATE SATURDAY NIGHT AND SUNDAY AS EXPECT A WEATHER DISTURBANCE AND SOME MOISTURE TO AFFECT THE AREA. WENT WITH WARMER LOWS OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA FOR TONIGHT AND OVER ALMOST THE ENTIRE FORECAST AREA FOR SATURDAY. INCREASED WINDS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT FOR TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY NIGHT AS AREA IS IN A HIGH WIND WATCH AREA. BLANK && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 440 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012/ FXUS65 KTFX 202343 AFDTFX AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 440 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 UPDATED AVIATION UPDATE... HAVE UPDATED TO CHANGE THE TYPE OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE PLAINS SATURDAY MORNING TO FREEZING RAIN. NOT SURE PRECIPITATION WILL EVEN OCCUR OVER THE PLAINS AND IF IT DOES ANY FREEZING PRECIPITATION SHOULD NOT LAST VERY LONG OR AMOUNT TO VERY MUCH SO DO NOT ANTICIPATE ISSUING ANY ADVISORY. ANOTHER UPDATE TO THE FORECAST WILL BE DONE BEFORE 6 PM. BLANK && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 226 PM MST FRI JAN 20 2012/ FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...THE ACTIVE WEATHER WEEK CONTINUES WITH TEMPERATURES OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA DRAMATICALLY SHIFTING OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. THIS IS DUE TO THE ERODING OF THE MODERATED POLAR FRONT THAT HAS BEEN IN PLACE ABOVE THE HIGH PLAINS FOR THE LAST 3 DAYS. STRONG SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP AS THE COLD AIR MASS RETREATS EASTWARD. THESE WINDS WILL HELP DRAMATICALLY WARM UP SURFACE TEMPERATURES AS THEY TRANSITION IN THE STABLE WARM AIR MASS THAT WAS DISPLACED BY THE POLAR FRONT. TEMPERATURE SWINGS GREATER THAN 40 DEGREES IN A 24 HOUR PERIOD WILL CONTINUE TO OCCUR THROUGHOUT THE EVENING AND INTO SATURDAY. WITH THESE STRONG GUSTY WINDS BLOWING SNOW COULD BECOME AN ISSUE ESPECIALLY WHERE HEAVIER SNOW LOADS WERE DEPOSITED EARLIER THIS WEEK. HAVE MENTIONED AREAS EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND IN THE JUDITH GAP AS THE MOST LIKELY TO EXPERIENCE BLOWING SNOW CONDITIONS. WILL CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS SITUATION AND ADDITIONAL HIGHLITES MAY BECOME NECESSARY. HAVE LEFT THE HIGH WIND WATCH IN PLACE FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND EASTERN GLACIER COUNTY. MODEL CONFIDENCE OF A WIND EVENT IS HIGH ENOUGH TO WARRANT A HIGH WIND WATCH HOWEVER CONFIDENCE IS NOT HIGH ENOUGH TO UPGRADE TO A WARNING AT THIS TIME. SUK SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...A RATHER UNSETTLED PERIOD OF WEATHER CAN BE EXPECTED DURING MUCH OF NEXT WEEK...BUT AT THIS TIME...NO MAJOR STORMS ARE EXPECTED. ALL MODELS INDICATE WE WILL HAVE A NICE WARMING TREND...ESPECIALLY FOR WEDNESDAY AND THURSDAY...WHEN AFTERNOON HIGH TEMPERATURES COULD AVERAGE BETWEEN 10 AND 15 DEGREES ABOVE NORMAL. A WEAK COOL FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH ON FRIDAY...RETURNING TEMPERATURES BACK TO MORE JANUARY LIKE. IN TERMS OF PRECIPITATION...THERE WILL BE A CHANCE FOR SCATTERED SHOWERS EACH DAY OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA...BUT LITTLE TO NO PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. WINDS WILL PICK UP A BIT ON THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...AS THE WARMER AIR MOVES BACK INTO THE REGION . BRUSDA && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 28 42 22 34 / 10 10 10 10 CTB -2 40 22 31 / 10 10 10 10 HLN 5 39 22 34 / 30 40 20 20 BZN 28 43 18 32 / 30 50 20 20 WEY 23 29 8 18 / 90 100 40 50 DLN 35 42 16 31 / 40 50 20 20 HVR -5 39 23 31 / 10 30 10 10 LWT 28 40 20 30 / 20 20 20 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WATCH FROM 5 AM MST SATURDAY THROUGH LATE SATURDAY NIGHT EASTERN GLACIER...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && SHORT TERM...BLANK LONG TERM...MLS AVIATION...MLS WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 556 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 MTZ009-010-048-211300- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 556 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY IS LOW FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM EARLY SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED. REPORTS OF STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ012-014-050>055-211300- CASCADE-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 556 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 AM THIS MORNING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS REQUESTED. REPORTS OF SNOWFALL...ICE ACCUMULATION OR SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS TO VISIBILITY WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ008-011-013-015-044>047-049-211300- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CHOUTEAU-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA- BLAINE-EASTERN TETON- 556 AM MST FRI JAN 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HE 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... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED TODAY.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sustained wind speeds of 52 mph for several hours were reported at McAllister 4NNE (the Norris Hill DOT site). A wind gust to 60 mph was also reported.
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, January 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: 357942.