Unusually warm temperatures for this time of year allowed stronger winds from above to mix down to the surface, enhancing the chinook wind effect from the west, especially near the lee side of the Little Rocky Mountains.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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.
Unusually warm temperatures for this time of year allowed stronger winds from above to mix down to the surface, enhancing the chinook wind effect from the west, especially near the lee side of the Little Rocky Mountains.
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 Jan 16, 2:17 PM MST, 1 hour 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 217 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... A COUPLE OF SYSTEMS ARE SET TO AFFECT THE AREA DURING THIS PERIOD. THE FIRST ONE WILL COME IN TONIGHT WITH THE GREATEST IMPACT BEING STRONG WINDS. THAT BEING SAID...THE STRONGEST WINDS WILL BE IN TWO AREAS. THE FIRST AREA WILL BE IN SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS COUNTY WHERE WINDS THIS AFTERNOON HAVE ALREADY BEEN STRONG THANKS TO GOOD MIXING. THE SECOND AREA WILL BE IN THE BIG SHEEP MOUNTAINS WHERE GUSTS OF 50 MPH ARE EXPECTED. THERE WILL BE A BRIEF PERIOD OF RAIN AND/OR SNOW SHOWERS THAT MAINLY AFFECT THE NE HALF OF THE CWA THOUGH. ANY RAINFALL COULD SLICKEN ROADWAYS MAINLY ALONG THE HIGHWAY 2 CORRIDOR AS GROUND TEMPERATURES MAY SUPPORT FREEZING. ON SATURDAY...UPPER TROUGH PUSHES TO OUR EAST AND SKIES WILL START OUT CLEAR. NORTHWEST WINDS WILL BE BREEZY ESPECIALLY IN THE SOUTHEAST ZONES BUT ARE EXPECTED TO GRADUALLY DIMINISH DURING THE DAY. CLOUDS BEGIN TO INCREASE SATURDAY WITH THE NEXT SYSTEM PUSHING INTO THE AREA SUNDAY. THE BEST CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO OCCUR OVER THE NORTHERN OR NE ZONES WHERE THE BEST LIFT AND CONVERGENCE IS EXPECTED. PRECIPITATION TYPE LOOKS TRICKY WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF FREEZING RAIN. THANKFULLY TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO TOP OUT ABOVE THE FREEZING POINT. TFJ .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... THE LONG TERM FORECAST BEGINS WITH A BROAD WEAK TROUGH OVER THE REGION LEADING TO A GENERALLY UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA TO START THE WEEK. OF CONCERN COULD BE ANOTHER STRONG WIND EVENT FOR SUNDAY EVENING THROUGH EARLY MONDAY MORNING. MODELS ARE CONVERGING ON A SOLUTION BRINGING STRONG WESTERLY WINDS TO NORTHEAST MONTANA BY WAY OF ANOTHER COLD FRONT ON THE ORDER OF 35G45KT. IF MODELS CONTINUE TO SUPPORT AND INCREASE THOSE WINDS...ANOTHER HIGH WIND PRODUCT MAY BE NEEDED FOR SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY MORNING. EXPECT SCATTERED SLIGHT CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING WITH SNOW OVERNIGHT AND MORE CHANCES FOR RAIN DURING THE DAY. BY MID-WEEK...MODEL CONSENSUS BRINGS AN OVERALL DRIER PATTERN WITH AN UPPER-LEVEL RIDGE MOVING IN FROM THE WEST. BUT...FORECAST CONFIDENCE IS LESS ALSO THAN AVERAGE STARTING MID-WEEK AS THE FINER DETAILS BECOME WASHED OUT DUE TO SOME SMALL-SCALE MODEL DIFFERENCES. CHOSE TO UPDATE THE LONG TERM FORECAST THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT WHERE BETTER FORECAST CONFIDENCE WAS TO BE FOUND. BMICKELSON PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...MODELS BRING A SHORTWAVE TROUGH THROUGH THE AREA SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY MORNING. AT THIS POINT...IT LOOKS LIKE THE SYSTEM WILL BE MORE WIND THAN ANYTHING ELSE. MODELS ARE FORECASTING 40 TO 50 KNOT WINDS AT 850 MB. QUESTION IS HOW MUCH OF THIS WIND WILL MIX TO THE SURFACE. WILL FORECAST SOME MIXING GIVEN THAT THE WINDS WILL BE FROM THE WEST. THE SYSTEM DOES HAVE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE NORTHEAST SUNDAY NIGHT DEPENDING ON TEMPERATURES. WITH LIMITED MOISTURE ON MONDAY... WILL KEEP FORECAST DRY FOR NOW. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH PASSES THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT WITH NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT. THERE MAYBE ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS. NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUE TUESDAY WITH ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH WHICH COULD BRING ANOTHER SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS ALONG WITH SOMEWHAT COLDER TEMPERATURES. THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE PERIOD WITH UPPER RIDGE ON THE WEST COAST AND TROUGH TO THE EAST. TEMPERATURES WILL BE CLOSE TO NORMAL FOR MID- JANUARY. WEDNESDAY LOOKS DRY WITH SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE AND A SHORTWAVE RIDGE WITHIN THE NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT SHOULD KEEP THURSDAY DRY. THEN...ANOTHER SHORTWAVE TROUGH IS EXPECTED ON FRIDAY THAT MAY BRING ENOUGH MOISTURE FOR A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW. FORRESTER && .AVIATION... SYNOPSIS: AN UPPER-LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND COLD FRONT WILL BRING STRONG WEST WINDS THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT WITH A CHANCE OF MIXED PRECIPITATION. FLIGHT CONDITIONS: MAINLY VFR. A SLIGHT CHANCE OF MVFR LATE TONIGHT. CIGS: HIGH AND MID LEVEL CLOUDS TODAY WILL BE REPLACED BY LOW CLOUDS TONIGHT AROUND THE 3000 FOOT VFR/MVFR THRESHOLD. VISIBILITY: UNRESTRICTED. WINDS: VARIABLE WINDS OF 5 TO 10 MPH LATE THIS MORNING WILL SET UP AND INCREASE FROM THE SOUTHWEST BY MID-DAY AND CONTINUE TO INCREASE FROM THE WEST TONIGHT AND SLIGHTLY NORTHWEST. PEAK WINDS OF 30 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 45 KNOTS ARE EXPECTED THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. BMICKELSON && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY FOR SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 246 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 MTZ016>027-059-061-062-171200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY- EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 246 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT BEHIND A COLD FRONT. LOCALLY HIGHER WIND GUSTS ARE EXPECTED IN THE TERRAIN-FAVORED REGIONS...ESPECIALLY IN THE BIG SHEEP MOUNTAINS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY GUSTY WEST WINDS ARE POSSIBLE AGAIN MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ060-171200- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 246 PM MST FRI JAN 16 2015 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT HIGH WINDS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT NEAR THE LITTLE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. NORTHWEST WINDS OF 30 TO 40 MPH WITH GUSTS AS HIGH AS 60 MPH CAN BE EXPECTED. A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY BRINGING THE POTENTIAL OF STRONG GUSTY WINDS. .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.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
The Malta South US-191 DOT site recorded sporadic sustained winds near or greater than 40 mph, but a 58 mph wind gust was measured at 4:15 pm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2015Every state in 2015This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2015
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: 557268.