Upper level winds and pressure gradients placed northeast Montana in a favorable location to develop strong winds.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 GGW wrote it up.
Upper level winds and pressure gradients placed northeast Montana in a favorable location to develop strong winds.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 5, 3:39 AM MST, 3 hours 41 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 339 AM MST MON NOV 5 2012 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... WATER VAPOR IMAGERY AND 500 MB HEIGHT FIELD SHOWS A VERY DYNAMICALLY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE COUNTRY. A SIGNIFICANT PLUME OF PACIFIC MOISTURE HAS QUICKLY PUSHED OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES REGION AND NOW SPREADS ACROSS MOST OF THE STATE OF MONTANA AS AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE HAS ANCHORED ITSELF OVER THE CALIFORNIA COASTLINE. THERE ARE MULTIPLE SMALL- SCALE SHORT WAVE DISTURBANCES EMBEDDED WITHIN THIS MOIST UPPER LEVEL FLOW ALOFT. ONE OF WHICH IS CURRENTLY SPREADING COMPLETE CLOUD COVER AND THE CHANCE FOR SOME EARLY MORNING PRECIP ACROSS NORTHERN MONTANA. OF MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPACT THIS MORNING IS THE WIDESPREAD FREEZING FOG...DENSE AT TIMES. CURRENT DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 15Z TODAY. MODELS INDICATE THAT THE FOG WILL BREAK UP BY THEN. THE REMAINDER OF THE SHORT TERM FORECAST PERIOD SHOULD BE RELATIVELY WARM AND QUIET UNDER A HEALTHY UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE WESTERN STATES REGION. ALL THE WHILE...THE SEASON-CHANGING STORM SYSTEM IS SLOWLY CHURNING SOUTH-SOUTHWEST-WARD THROUGH THE GULF OF ALASKA. THERE IS SOME SIGNIFICANT MODEL DISAGREEMENT REGARDING A SHORT WAVE DISTURBANCE EMBEDDED WITH THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT EARLY WEDNESDAY. THE GFS AND EC KEEP THE BAND OF RAIN AWAY NORTH INTO SASKATCHEWAN WHILE THE NAM BRINGS THE BAND OF RAIN RIGHT OVER OUR NORTHERN AND EAST-CENTRAL ZONES. TREATED THIS MAINLY WITH SOME SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THOSE ZONES FOR NOW UNTIL WE HAVE BETTER MODEL CONSENSUS. JUST BEYOND THE END OF THIS FORECAST PERIOD...THE RAIN SHOWERS BEGIN TO ORGANIZE AND EMERGE FROM THE CENTRAL MONTANA MOUNTAINS AND EXTEND OVER OUR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN ZONES...MARKING THE ONSET OF THE EXTENDED SNOW STORM SET TO IMPACT THE ENTIRE REGION THROUGH THE WEEKEND. ONE EXCEPTION TO THIS RELATIVE CALM WILL BE GUSTY AFTERNOON WINDS TODAY...JUST ENOUGH TO WARRANT A LAKE WIND ADVISORY. ALTHOUGH...CURRENT THINKING IS THAT THE STRONGER WINDS WILL BE REALIZED OVER THE WESTERN PORTIONS OF THE LAKE. BMICKELSON .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... THE EXTENDED FORECAST BEGINS WITH SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER NORTHEASTERN MONTANA. AN UPPER LOW OVER THE NORTHEAST PACIFIC WILL WORK ITS WAY ACROSS THE REGION THROUGH SUNDAY AND THEN EXIT INTO THE ONTARIO ON MONDAY LEAVING DRIER NORTHWEST FLOW IN ITS WAKE. THE MODELS ARE IN FAIR AGREEMENT THROUGH SATURDAY... THEN THE GFS BECOMES FASTER WITH THE EXIT OF THE THE UPPER LOW. THE GEM IS A BLEND OF THE SLOWER EC AND QUICKER GFS. THE GFS ENSEMBLES SHOW GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH 00Z ON SATURDAY THEN HAS DIFFERENCES WITH THE UPPER LOW OVER MONTANA BY 00Z ON SUNDAY WHERE SOME OF THE MEMBERS AGREE WITH THE SLOWER EC. THURSDAY MORNING... AN ISENTROPIC AREA OF UPGLIDE EXISTS OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA. HOWEVER IT NOT THAT STRONG AT THIS TIME STEP. THEREFORE A DELAY UNTIL FRIDAY MORNING WITH THE HEAVIER ACCUMULATING SNOW. SNOWFALL SHOULD CONTINUE TO PILE UP OVER THE REGION THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THEN THE DRY SLOT WILL MOVE INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA AIDING IN REDUCING THE SNOWFALL FOR THE AREA. AFTER THE EXIT OF THE SYSTEM EXPECT A TRANSITION TO NORTHWEST FLOW. TEMPERATURES WILL DROP THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH WELL BELOW NORMAL READINGS EXPECTED. COULD SEE SOME OF THE FIRST BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES FOR THE FAR WESTERN ZONES ON SUNDAY MORNING. THEN A VERY SLOW WARM UP IS ANTICIPATED FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED. CONFIDENCE IN THE SNOW FOR THURSDAY THROUGH SATURDAY IS SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL WITH GOOD MODEL AGREEMENT. EVEN THIS MORNING THE UPPER LOW AND PACIFIC MOISTURE FETCH IS COMING TOGETHER WELL. GOING TO CONTINUE WITH A WELL WORDED HWO THIS MORNING TO INTRODUCE THE CHANGE IN THE CONDITIONS AND POSSIBLE HAZARDOUS WEATHER FOR LATER THIS WEEK. MALIAWCO/PROTON && .AVIATION... LIFR/IFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED WITH THE FOG/ST OVER THE TERMINAL LOCATIONS. IT IS EXPECTED THAT THE CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE FROM WEST TO EAST STARTING AROUND 15Z WITH VFR EXPECTED AT ALL LOCATIONS BY 18Z. EAST WIND WILL WORK ITS WAY AROUND TO THE WEST BY MID DAY. THE LAST 12 HOURS OF THE TERMINAL PERIOD EXPECT VFR AND WINDS GENERALLY UNDER 20 KNOTS. MALIAWCO/PROTON && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR FORT PECK LAKE. DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 8 AM MST THIS MORNING FOR DANIELS... SHERIDAN...WESTERN ROOSEVELT...RICHLAND...DAWSON...PRAIRIE... WIBAUX...EASTERN ROOSEVELT. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 316 AM MST MON NOV 5 2012 MTZ016>027-059>062-052300- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 316 AM MST MON NOV 5 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT LINGERING AREAS OF DENSE FOG WILL PERSIST THROUGH THE EARLY MORNING HOURS GENERALLY EAST OF WOLF POINT. TRAVEL WILL BE HAZARDOUS BOTH FROM SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND EXPOSED SURFACES WHICH MAY BECOME SLICK AT TIMES. A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THIS AFTERNOON FOR GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY BEGINNING ON THURSDAY A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE WEATHER PATTERN IS EXPECTED TO OCCUR ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA. A CHANGE TO MUCH COOLER AND SNOWIER CONDITIONS IS EXPECTED STARTING THURSDAY IN THE WESTERN AREAS AND SPREADING EAST BY FRIDAY LASTING INTO THE WEEKEND. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Sustained wind of at least 40 mph were measured generally from mid-morning through early afternoon with a peak wind gust of 67 mph measured at 13:00 MST at the Malta South US-191 DOT site.
The DOT site at Saco began measuring sustained winds of 35 to 42 mph at 11:47 MST with a peak wind gust of 50 mph at 13:03 MST. The winds died down after 14:06 MST. The Malta agrimet station measured a peak wind gust of 59 mph at 12:45 MST.
At the mesonet site just east of Fort Peck Dam, sustained winds of at least 40 mph were measured during the mid-day hours with a peak wind gust of 62 mph measured in the 13:50 MST observation.
The Glasgow ASOS measured a 59 mph wind gust during the early afternoon.
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, November 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: 421685, 421687, 421684, 421686.