Montana, 2012

High Wind in Montana, October 1, 2012

October 1, 2012 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong and gusty winds occurred along the Rocky Mountain Front under strong westerly flow aloft and resulting downsloping winds. The High Wind Watch began 9/29/12 and was upgraded to a High Wind Warning at 3pm MDT 9/30/12.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

Strong and gusty winds occurred along the Rocky Mountain Front under strong westerly flow aloft and resulting downsloping winds. The High Wind Watch began 9/29/12 and was upgraded to a High Wind Warning at 3pm MDT 9/30/12.

What forecasters said that day

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 Oct 1, 4:35 PM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 1, 4:35 PM MST, 2 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 1, 3:06 PM MST, 3 hours 54 minutes before
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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 1, 5:40 PM MST, 1 hour 20 minutes before
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Local storm report, Oct 1, 6:25 PM MST, 35 minutes before
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Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When
October 1, 7:00 PM MST
Where
North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured
75 kt (86 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet

Logan Pass weather station measures 86 mph wind gust at 1900 MDT.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, October 2012

Sources

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: 411543.