Strong southwest winds developed over portions of the Rocky Mountain Front.
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 southwest winds developed over portions of the Rocky Mountain Front.
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 Jul 3, 1:50 PM MST, 10 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 250 PM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012 .DISCUSSION... TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY EVENING...UPPER LEVEL TROF CURRENTLY CENTERED OVER WA/OR CONTINUES TO LIFT INTO SOUTHWEST CANADA. AS OF 2PM THE ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT HAS JUST ABOUT CLEARED THE OUR COUNTY WARNING AREA WITH ONLY A SMALL PART OF THE FRONT MOVING THRU MADISON/GALLATIN COUNTIES. WINDS ARE BREEZY OVER MOST OF REGION WITH STRONGER GUSTS AROUND 50-55 MPH OBSERVED NEAR LOGAN PASS IN GLACIER NATIONAL PARK. THE HIGH WIND WARNING FOR THE NRN ROCKY MTN FRONT REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6AM WED BUT CURRENT DATA INDICATES THAT WINDS MAY DROP BELOW WARNING CRITERIA (58 MPH) POSSIBLY BEFORE MIDNIGHT. THE POST-FRONTAL AIRMASS IS ALSO QUITE DRY AS DEW POINTS HAVE BEEN DROPPING STEADILY FROM WEST TO EAST THIS AFTN. WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THE DRY AIR AND DOWNSLOPING WINDS...HAVE REDUCED CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA AND KEPT ONLY ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER THE REMAINDER OF THE REGION THROUGH THIS EVE. FORECAST MODELS ARE IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT UPPER LEVEL TROF WILL BE WELL DOWNSTREAM BY TOMORROW MORNING WITH WIDESPREAD DRY AND SLIGHTLY COOLER CONDITIONS ON THE WAY FOR THE 4TH OF JULY...PERFECT WEATHER FOR ANY OUTDOOR HOLIDAY ACTIVITIES. HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING BEGINS TO BUILD BACK INTO THE STATE ON THURS WITH DRY CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR MUCH OF THE DAY. AN INITIAL PUSH OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE FROM THE GREAT BASIN AREA WILL MOVE INTO SOUTHWEST MT THURS AFTN BRINGING A SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS THERE THURS EVE. THE RIDGE WILL ALSO BRING A RETURN OF WARMER TEMPERATURES WITH HIGHS CLIMBING BACK INTO THE MID TO UPPER 80S. WARANAUSKAS THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...MEDIUM RANGE MODELS ARE IN FAIRLY DECENT AGREEMENT THROUGH THE PERIOD. UPPER RIDGING WILL DEVELOP OVER THE AREA AND THIS WILL ALLOW FOR THE TAPPING OF MONSOONAL MOISTURE FROM THE SOUTHWESTERN U.S. AND SPREADING IT OVER THE AREA. THUS...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE IN THE FORECAST EACH DAY OF THE PERIOD. WITH STEERING CURRENTS ALOFT BEING VERY WEAK...THUNDERSTORMS WILL LIKELY BE SLOW MOVERS WITH SOME CAPABLE OF PRODUCING SIGNIFICANT RAIN AMOUNTS. SHORT WAVE ENERGY MOVING THROUGH THE UPPER RIDGE POSITION EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO CONVECTIVE DEVELOPMENT. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN WARM BUT A SURFACE GRADIENT THAT WILL FAVOR A SOMEWHAT EASTERLY COMPONENT TO THE WINDS WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM REACHING MUCH BEYOND THE LOW 90S. NEVERTHELESS...AFTERNOON TEMPERATURES WILL CONTINUE SOME 10 TO 12 DEGREES ABOVE SEASONAL AVERAGES. && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1730Z. A SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA TODAY. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE POSSIBLE AHEAD OF THE FRONT. GUSTY SURFACE WINDS WILL ALSO ACCOMPANY THE FRONT WITH THE STRONGEST WINDS ALONG THE NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY SHOULD END BY 02Z AND SURFACE WINDS SHOULD BEGIN DECREASE BY 04Z. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH ERRATIC WINDS AND MVFR CONDITIONS POSSIBLE IN THE VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS. SUK && .FIRE WEATHER... RED FLAG WARNING FOR FIRE ZONE 118 (HELENA TO NORTHERN GALLATIN COUNTY) REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL MIDNIGHT FOR LOW HUMIDITIES AND GUSTY WINDS. HUMIDITIES WILL DECREASE A FEW PERCENT THIS AFTN/EVE AS THE DRY POST-FRONTAL AIRMASS SETTLES INTO THE REGION. HUMIDITIES WILL AGAIN REACH THE MID-TEENS OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST MT TOMORROW AND WINDS WILL BE CLOSE FOR A POSSIBLE FIRE WEATHER HIGHLIGHT. WITH THE STEADILY DRYING FUELS...FIRE DANGER CONDITIONS REMAIN ELEVATED AND LOCALIZED BREEZY WINDS ILL ALLOW FOR ANY FIRE START TO QUICKLY SPREAD. WARANAUSKAS && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 47 79 47 84 / 10 10 10 10 CTB 45 72 42 77 / 10 10 10 10 HLN 48 81 50 87 / 10 10 10 10 BZN 42 84 46 87 / 10 10 10 10 WEY 41 79 43 78 / 20 0 10 20 DLN 43 83 48 85 / 10 10 10 10 HVR 48 79 47 85 / 10 10 10 10 LWT 44 76 46 80 / 10 10 10 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... RED FLAG WARNING UNTIL MIDNIGHT MDT TONIGHT BEAVERHEAD... BROADWATER...CASCADE...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK... GALLATIN...JEFFERSON...MADISON...MEAGHER. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT WEDNESDAY NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. && SHORT TERM...WARANAUSKAS LONG TERM...MLS AVIATION...SUK WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 357 AM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012 MTZ010>014-044>051-041000- EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 357 AM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT STRONG SOUTHWESTERLY WINDS ARE EXPECTED TODAY THOUGH WINDS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW HIGH WIND CRITERIA. ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE THIS AFTERNOON AND SOME STORMS MAY CONTAIN GUSTY WINDS AND HAIL. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY IS LOW FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ANY REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS AND HAIL ASSOCIATED WITH THUNDERSTORMS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ009-041000- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 357 AM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS MORNING THROUGH MIDNIGHT. STRONGEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY IS LOW FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... ANY REPORTS OF HIGH WINDS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ008-015-052>055-041000- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 357 AM MDT TUE JUL 3 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A RED FLAG WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR FIRE ZONE 118 BEGINNING AT NOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY IS LOW FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind gusts up to 74KT (86MPH) reported at both Garden Wall and Logan Pass Visitor Center in Glacier National Park.
Wind gusts to 63KT (72MPH) were reported at the Gates Park 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, July 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: 397925, 397926.