A powerful upper level jet and potent cold front bring strong gusty winds to the region.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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 MSO wrote it up.
A powerful upper level jet and potent cold front bring strong gusty winds to the region.
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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 29, 3:10 AM MST, 7 hours 45 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
410 AM MDT Mon Apr 29 2013
...DAMAGING WINDS TODAY...
...HARD FREEZE WEDNESDAY MORNING...
.DISCUSSION...
The big impact today will be strong and potentially damaging winds
across all of central Idaho and Western Montana. A 120-140 knot
jet streak associated with a surface cold front will move through
the region this morning. Strong winds will occur along the cold
front then persist as they become more west-northwesterly.
Strongest wind speeds are expected this afternoon.
A COUPLE OF THE BIGGEST IMPACT AREAS FROM DANGEROUS CROSS WINDS
TODAY:
I-90 FROM GARRISON JUNCTION TO ANACONDA.
U.S. 93 FROM KALISPELL TO MISSOULA.
THE BITTERROOT VALLEY.
HIGHWAY 28 IN LEMHI COUNTY, ESPECIALLY GILMORE SUMMIT
In addition this cold front is and will bring significant higher
elevation snows in the Clearwater, Bitterroot, Bob Marshall and
Glacier NP mountains. Widespread valley rainfall will occur
elsewhere across the Northern Rockies. AGAIN THE MAJOR IMPA CT TODAY
WILL BE STRONG GUSTY AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WEST-NORTHWEST
WINDS.
Late this evening pressure gradients relax and much colder
airmass settles over the region. Overnight lows tonight will fall
into the upper 20s. THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OF THE WEEK WILL FALL TUESDAY
NIGHT/WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SEVERAL HOURS OF TEMPERATURES IN THE
LOWER TO MID 20S EXPECTED which is 10-15 degrees below normal.
THE MAIN IMPACT FROM THIS COLD OUTBREAK IS:
FREEZING TEMPERATURES ON SENSITIVE PLANTS AND TREES.
Dry and warmer temperatures by mid week through next weekend.
Expect temperatures around 70 Thursday through Sunday. A weak
system will brush through the area Friday or Saturday and produce
a few showers in the mountains.
&&
.AVIATION...High winds at all terminals after 29/1500z today as a
strong cold front moves through the region. West to northwest
winds with gusts of 35 to 50 mph at times are possible at all
terminals, especially from 29/1800z through 30/0100z. In addition
rain is expected at all terminals today which will obscure
mountains and lower ceilings/visibilities at times.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...HIGH WIND WARNING from 9 AM this morning to Midnight MDT tonight
Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains...Butte/Blackfoot Region...
Potomac/Seeley Lake Region...West Glacier Region.
HIGH WIND WARNING from 9 AM this morning to Midnight MDT tonight
Flathead/Mission Valleys...Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.
WIND ADVISORY until 6 PM MDT this evening Kootenai/Cabinet
Region...Lower Clark Fork Region.
ID...HIGH WIND WARNING from 9 AM this morning to Midnight MDT tonight
Eastern Lemhi County.
WIND ADVISORY until 5 PM PDT this afternoon Lower Hells
Canyon/Salmon River Region...Northern Clearwater
Mountains...Orofino/Grangeville Region...Southern
Clearwater Mountains.
WIND ADVISORY from 9 AM this morning to Midnight MDT tonight
Western Lemhi County.
&&
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https://www.facebook.com/US.NationalWeatherService.Missoula.gov
https://www.twitter.com/NWSMissoulaPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
817 AM MDT MON APR 29 2013
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0755 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 4 S GRANGEVILLE 45.86N 116.12W
04/29/2013 M50 MPH IDAHO ID MESONET
REPORTED AT APRSWXNET STATION AS773
&&
IRIS SYSTEMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
1041 AM MDT MON APR 29 2013
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 AM NON-TSTM WND DMG 3 NNW EUREKA 48.92N 115.08W
04/29/2013 LINCOLN MT TRAINED SPOTTER
WOOD SHED BLEW OVER.
&&
KOLATAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 strong wind, 1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Strong wind gusts over 50 mph were reported in the Salmon area.
The Dent agrimet station recorded a strong wind gust to 58 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, April 2013
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: 447646, 439315.