A strong westerly flow aloft contributed to overnight high winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. 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 contributed to overnight high winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. 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 Jan 30, 3:16 AM MST, 2 hours 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 316 AM MST MON JAN 30 2012 .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY...THE NEXT IN SERIES OF UPPER LEVEL SHORTWAVES WITHIN A FAST WESTERLY FLOW FROM THE PACIFIC WILL REACH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THIS AFTERNOON. SNOW ALREADY FALLING OVER THE WESTERN MTNS WILL SPREAD INTO THE SW MT MTNS THIS MORNING WITH SEVERAL INCHES OF ACCUMULATION EXPECTED ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS...MAINLY IMPACTING AREAS ABOVE 6000FT. COOLING ALOFT ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCOMING SYSTEM WILL CRATE SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE CONDITIONS THIS AFTERNOON...LIKELY LEADING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF WIDELY SCATTED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS OVER CENTRAL AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MT. DRIER AND MORE STABLE CONDITIONS DEVELOP TONIGHT BEHIND THE EXITING PACIFIC TROUGH AND PERSISTS THROUGH TUESDAY WITH ENOUGH MOISTURE AND WEAK DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED IN THE FLOW TO KEEP A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN MTNS WHILE THE REST OF THE AREA SHOULD REMAIN DRY. THE NEXT STRONGER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM IN THIS PATTERN ARRIVES WEDNESDAY WITH INCREASING CHANCES FOR SNOW SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE WESTERN AND SW MT MTNS. THERE IS LITTLE CHANGE IN THE OVERALL SURFACE PRESSURE PATTERN THROUGH THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...WHICH WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE BRISK WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS...ESPECIALLY OVER NORTH CENTRAL MT WHERE GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TODAY OVER MUCH OF THE PLAINS WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH ALONG THE ROCKY MTN FRONT. TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE 5 TO 10 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES. HOENISCH WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...MODELS CONTINUE TO SHOW SHORTWAVE ENERGY MOVING OVER THE STATE WEDNESDAY NIGHT FOR ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS...ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN MOUNTAINS. BY THURSDAY IT APPEARS THAT A LARGE SCALE PATTERN SHIFT TAKES PLACE ACROSS WESTERN PORTIONS OF NORTH AMERICA. A STRONG UPPER LEVEL RIDGE DEVELOPS OVER THE WEST COAST AND GRADUALLY PROGRESSES OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS THROUGH SATURDAY. DRY AND WARM CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY. BY SUNDAY MODELS BEGIN TO SHOW A BIT OF DISAGREEMENT WITH THE GFS BRINGING SHORTWAVE ENERGY OVER THE TOP OF THE RIDGE THROUGH CENTRAL ALBERTA THEN DROPS THIS FEATURE SOUTHEASTWARD THROUGH NORTHEAST MONTANA. MEANWHILE THE ECMWF TRENDS TOWARD PINCHING OFF THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AXIS DIRECTLY OVER THE IDAHO/MONTANA BORDER AREA THEN REGRESSES THE RIDGE BACK TOWARD THE COAST SETTING UP A NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. BOTH SOLUTIONS WILL BE DRY BUT THE GFS SOLUTIONS SUGGESTS COOLER AND BREEZIER CONDITIONS FOR SUNDAY AND MONDAY. MPJ && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1100Z. A MOIST AND SOMEWHAT UNSTABLE WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PERSIST THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. WIDESPREAD SNOW...LOWER CIGS AND MTN OBSCURATIONS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WESTERN MTNS...SPREADING INTO THE SW MT MTNS BY THIS AFTERNOON. VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL AT TAF SITES WITH WIDELY SCATTERED SHOWERS DEVELOPING THIS AFTERNOON OVER THE PLAINS/VALLEYS. WINDS WILL REMAIN GUSTY FROM THE WEST TO SOUTHWEST WITH LOCAL MTN WAVE TURBULENCE CONTINUING. DRY CONDITIONS MOVE INTO THE REGION THIS EVENING FOR IMPROVING CONDITIONS OVER THE MTNS. HOENISCH && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 48 30 45 31 / 10 0 0 0 CTB 44 28 41 29 / 10 0 0 0 HLN 48 26 43 24 / 10 0 10 0 BZN 50 22 45 18 / 20 10 10 10 WEY 29 14 27 9 / 70 60 30 40 DLN 43 21 41 20 / 10 10 10 0 HVR 48 24 45 24 / 30 20 0 0 LWT 48 25 42 25 / 20 20 10 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... NONE. && SHORT TERM...HOENISCH LONG TERM...MPJ AVIATION...HOENISCH WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 331 AM MST MON JAN 30 2012 MTZ009-048-311200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 331 AM MST MON JAN 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT WINDY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON WITH GUSTS UP TO 55 MPH EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY IN THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CONTINUE INTO THIS AFTERNOON OVER AREAS NEAR THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED AT LOCATIONS IN THE MOUNTAINS FROM 5000 TO 6000 FEET...INCLUDING MARIAS PASS...WITH 4 TO 7 INCHES ABOVE 6000 FEET. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ010>014-044>047-049>054-311200- EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER- 331 AM MST MON JAN 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND 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... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ008-015-055-311200- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-GALLATIN- 331 AM MST MON JAN 30 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE THIS MORNING AND CONTINUE INTO THE AFTERNOON OVER THE MOUNTAINS...BRINGING 1 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW ACCUMULATION BY THIS EVENING. A FEW SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AT LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH LITTLE OR NO ACCUMULATION EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 63 mph was reported at Pendroy 17W (the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch).
A wind gust to 64 mph was reported at the Heart Butte RAWS site.
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: 358043, 358041.