High Wind in Montana, October 13 to 16, 2012

Name: High Wind in Montana, October 13 to 16, 2012
Start: 2012-10-13T04:00
End: 2012-10-16T20:00
Location: Montana

October 13 to 16, 2012 · NWS TFX · 20 events in 20 counties and zones

Widespread high winds occurred over much of north-central and parts of southwest Montana for 5 days.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 20

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.

Widespread high winds occurred over much of north-central and parts of southwest Montana for 5 days.

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 13, 3:21 AM MST, 39 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 13, 3:21 AM MST, 39 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 13, 3:06 AM MST, 54 minutes before

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In the hours before

Local storm report, Oct 12, 11:44 PM MST, 4 hours 16 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 12, 11:46 PM MST, 4 hours 14 minutes before

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Local storm report, Oct 12, 11:58 PM MST, 4 hours 2 minutes before

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Event by event

20 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: October 13, 4:00 AM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Logan Pass measures 63mph wind gust at 0500 10-13-2012.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: October 16, 7:30 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Estimated wind gusts around 60 mph at 0830am MDT 10-16-2012. Several large branches down.

High Wind, Beaverhead

When: October 16, 9:31 AM MST
Where: Beaverhead forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Big Hole Pass DOT measures 66mph wind gust at 10:31 am MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Jefferson

When: October 16, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Measured: 67 kt (77 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Pipestone Mesonet measures 77 mph wind gust at 11:00am MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: October 16, 10:56 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

Cut Bank ASOS measures 58 mph wind gust at 1156am MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Madison

When: October 16, 11:43 AM MST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Burnt Creek RAWS measures 61 mph wind gust at 12:43 pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Cascade

When: October 16, 12:30 PM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Measured 59 mph wind gust 4 miles south of Cascade at 1:30pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Meagher

When: October 16, 12:59 PM MST
Where: Meagher forecast zone
Measured: 76 kt (87 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Millegan Mesonet measures 87 mph wind gust at 1:59pm MDT on 10-16-2012. Location is 3 miles north of Meagher county border.

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: October 16, 1:00 PM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) estimated sustained
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Estimated sustained wind speed of 45 mph for 3 hours between 2pm and 5pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Blaine

When: October 16, 1:00 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Measured wind gust of 73mph 11 miles south of Chinook between 2pm and 3pm MDT 10-16-2012. Rainfall around 0.10 inches with small ice pellets.

High Wind, Liberty

When: October 16, 1:21 PM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Mattson Farms 17 miles north of Chester measures 58 mph wind gust at 1421pm MDT on 10-16-12.

High Wind, Toole

When: October 16, 1:32 PM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Galata aprswxnet measures 58 mph wind gust at 1432pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Judith Basin

When: October 16, 1:33 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Geyser DOT measures 63mph wind gust with sustained winds of 49 mph at 2:33pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: October 16, 1:42 PM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Measured 61 mph wind gust near Silver City at 2:42pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Gallatin

When: October 16, 2:45 PM MST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Bozeman Pass DOT measures 62 mph wind gust at 3:45pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Hill

When: October 16, 2:54 PM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

Havre ASOS measures 62mph wind gust at 3:54 pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Chouteau

When: October 16, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 61 kt (70 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Estimated wind gusts up to 70 mph 10 miles NW of Geraldine between 330pm MDT and 430pm MDT 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Fergus

When: October 16, 3:53 PM MST
Where: Fergus forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Oscar RAWS measures 64mph wind gust at 4:53pm MDT 10-16-2012.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: October 16, 4:46 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Theodore Roosevelt Ranch measures 59mph wind gust at 1746 MDT on 10-16-12.

High Wind, Broadwater

When: October 16, 8:00 PM MST
Where: Broadwater forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS

Elkhorn RAWS measures 61mph wind gust at 9:00pm MDT on 10-16-2012.

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

Every storm in Montana in 2012 Every state in 2012 This day in weather history Warnings 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 416675, 416682, 416691, 416693, 416677, 416690, 416683, 416695, 416681, 416688, 416679, 416678, 416686, 416684, 416694, 416685, 416687, 416689, 416676, 416692.