Strong winds developed over prone locations along the rocky mount front and Norris Hill.
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 TFX wrote it up.
Strong winds developed over prone locations along the rocky mount front and Norris Hill.
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 Mar 14, 9:24 AM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1024 AM MDT Sat Mar 14 2015 .UPDATE... No significant changes to the forecast this morning as winds are beginning to approach high wind criteria. Temperatures generally look on track, and will address any changes associated with next system with the full forecast package this afternoon. Suk && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1130Z. Breezy west winds will affect the region today. The strongest winds are expected in the Great Falls and Cut Bank areas. Widespread mid/high level cloudiness will affect the region...but overall VFR conditions will prevail through tonight. The exception will be over the Rocky Mountain Front...where there will be increased chances for precipitation by tonight. IFR conditions are expected over mountain passes...with mountains obscured at times. Mountain waves are possible due to the strong winds aloft thru tonight. Brusda && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 540 AM MDT Sat Mar 14 2015/ Today through Monday...A big change in the weather is coming as we go from near record high temperatures today to snow Sunday night and Monday. A strong and moist southwest flow aloft will be over the area today and tonight. Downslope effects should keep the forecast area dry except for the western mountains. The weather pattern changes Sunday night as a weather disturbance aloft moves into the Pacific. Meanwhile a much colder Canadian airmass will spread south over the forecast area as a result of an upper trough moving into central Canada. This combination will bring snow to central and northern Montana with rain and snow for southwest Montana. The weather disturbance aloft is expected to weaken as it moves into Montana on Monday and precipitation should diminish by late in the day. High winds...Will continue with the current high wind warning for the Rocky Mountain Front and also Toole County into Sunday. There also is a threat of local high winds over the remainder of the plains and adjoining mountains but confidence is not high enough to expand the warning into these latter areas. Another area that could possibly see high winds this afternoon and tonight is Norris Hill area in Madison County but models differ on forecast wind speeds so at this time have held off on any warning for that particular area. Winter weather...Models are coming together in hitting the Rocky Mountain Front with significant snow Sunday night into Monday. Due to better consistency with model forecasts have issued a winter storm watch for the Rocky Mountain Front. Elsewhere along the east slopes expect snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches near and after midnight Sunday night into Monday. Another problem in addition to the snow and accompanying poor visibilities is that precipitation could start off as rain for the lower elevations and with temperatures falling to below freezing by Monday morning roads could become icy. Additional winter weather highlights might be needed. Blank Monday night through Saturday...It continues to remain a bit unsettled from Monday night through Wednesday...as the main Canadian cold front begins to exit the region Monday night. However...as a southwesterly to westerly flow develops aloft by Tuesday...upper level disturbances will begin to move through the region for Tuesday and Wednesday. Thus there will be a chance for showers over the region through mid week. Both the GFS/EC begin to dry things out on Thursday...but by Friday the EC model starts to bring back showers to the region...while the GFS is dry. For Saturday...the EC continues the showers...while the GFS does not bring in precip until late in the day. Thus for Fri/Sat I did a blend of the precip...but leaned a bit more towards the dry side. In terms of temperatures...expect a gradual warming trend from Tue thru Sat...with temperatures ranging from 10 to 15 degrees above normal by late in the week. Brusda && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 70 46 61 31 / 10 10 50 100 CTB 67 44 57 27 / 10 10 70 100 HLN 70 46 66 37 / 10 10 50 100 BZN 70 40 69 37 / 0 10 50 70 WEY 54 32 55 32 / 0 10 50 70 DLN 68 43 65 40 / 0 10 50 70 HVR 74 45 66 30 / 0 10 30 60 LWT 72 46 63 29 / 0 10 30 100 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING until Noon MDT Sunday Eastern Glacier... Northern Rocky Mountain Front...Southern Rocky Mountain Front... Toole. WINTER STORM WATCH from Sunday evening through Monday afternoon Northern Rocky Mountain Front...Southern Rocky Mountain Front. && weather.gov/greatfalls www.twitter.com/NWSGreatFalls www.facebook.com/NWSGreatFalls
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1132 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1041 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 E EAST GLACIER PARK 48.45N 113.19W
03/14/2015 M73 MPH GLACIER MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
SUKPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1133 AM MDT SAT MAR 14 2015
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1045 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 12 WNW CUT BANK 48.67N 112.59W
03/14/2015 M59 MPH GLACIER MT MESONET
&&
SUK5 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two Medicine Bridge DOT sensor reported multiple gusts strongest at 73 mph.
Blackfeet agrimet started reporting gusts exceed criteria.
Norris Hill DOT sensor reported wind gusts up to 59 mph.
Public report from a weather station with gusts up to 65 mph measured.
Mesonet report of 64 mph winds 13 miles west of Bynum.
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, March 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: 565580, 565582, 565585, 565583, 565584.