High Wind in Montana, November 18, 2015

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 18, 2015
Start: 2015-11-18T03:03
End: 2015-11-18T23:00
Location: Montana

November 18, 2015 · NWS GGW · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A very strong low pressure system sliding down the Canadian Rockies, pushed up against higher pressure from the south and directed the resulting strong and very gusty winds through Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 GGW wrote it up.

A very strong low pressure system sliding down the Canadian Rockies, pushed up against higher pressure from the south and directed the resulting strong and very gusty winds through Montana.

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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 17, 7:33 PM MST, 7 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 17, 7:33 PM MST, 7 hours 30 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
733 PM MST TUE NOV 17 2015

.SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...

...HIGH WIND WARNING FOR WEDNESDAY...

EVENING UPDATE...
CHANGE FOR THIS EVENING FOCUSED ON THE HIGH WINDS ALREADY IN
PLACE ACROSS THE FRONT RANGE AND THE RAPIDLY DEVELOPING STRONG
WINDS DOWNSTREAM IN LEWISTOWN AND THE LITTLE ROCKIES. MODELS HAVE
SPED UP THE SYSTEM BY ABOUT 3 HOURS AND WITH NEAR CRITERIA JUST
UPSTREAM... HAVE DECIDED TO BUMP BACK THE START OF THE HIGH WIND
WARNING FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF THE WARNING AREA TO 09Z. GAH

PREVIOUS SHORT TERM DISCUSSION...
THE WARM FRONT AND SOUTHWEST BREEZE THAT WARMED HIGHS TO ABOVE
AVERAGE TODAY...ALONG WITH INCREASING CLOUD COVER...WILL RESULT
IN WARMER TEMPERATURES TONIGHT...WITH LOWS RUNNING AROUND 5F TO
10F ABOVE NORMAL. HOWEVER A MAJOR CHANGE IN CONDITIONS WILL BE IN
THE WORKS FOR OUR REGION. AN FAST-MOVING UPPER TROUGH...CURRENTLY
IN THE GULF OF ALASKA...WILL DIVE INTO WESTERN CANADA TONIGHT. A
STRONG SURFACE LOW WILL DEVELOP IN SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND THE LEE OF
THE CANADIAN ROCKIES. THE BASE OF THE UPPER TROUGH AND THE
ASSOCIATED COLD FRONT WILL CROSS THE DIVIDE AROUND MIDNIGHT
TONIGHT.

THE TROUGH SWEEPS INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA BEFORE SUNRISE WHILE THE
CLOSED OFF SURFACE LOW MOVES INTO SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. WINDS
WILL RAPIDLY SHIFT AROUND TO THE NORTHWEST. WHILE MOISTURE IS
LIMITED...STRONG UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS WILL ALLOW FOR A FEW RAIN
AND SNOW SHOWERS LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. THE MAIN
THREAT FROM THIS SYSTEM WILL BE STRONG WINDS. 850 MB NORTHWEST
WINDS INCREASE TO 50-60 KNOTS AND 700 MB WINDS WILL INCREASE TO
AROUND 70 KNOTS WEDNESDAY MORNING AND REMAIN STRONG THROUGH THE
AFTERNOON AND EVENING. STRONG COLD AIR ADVECTION AND PRESSURE
RISES WILL ALLOW THESE WINDS TO MIX DOWN TO THE SURFACE. A HIGH
WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST MONTANA STARTING
AT 12Z WEDNESDAY THROUGH 06Z THURSDAY IN MOST AREAS. WILL KEEP
THE WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 12Z THURSDAY ALONG THE NORTH DAKOTA
BORDER.

WINDS WILL DIMINISH SOMEWHAT WEDNESDAY NIGHT BUT IT WILL CONTINUE
TO BE WINDY INTO THURSDAY MORNING. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE WILL
BUILD INTO THE AREA DURING THE DAY ON THURSDAY AND TEMPERATURES
WILL BE BELOW NORMAL WITH HIGHS ONLY 25F TO 35F.

.LONG TERM...THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY...
THE LONG RANGE PERIOD AS DESCRIBED BELOW REMAINS LARGELY ON
TRACK...THOUGH WITH CONSENSUS BLENDS TRENDING COOLER...DID MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS TO TEMPERATURE FORECASTS FOR LATE NEXT WEEK AND THE
WEEKEND. FORECAST NOW APPEARS TO BE BETTER COLLABORATED AND MORE
IN LINE WITH THE LATEST GUIDANCE. OTHERWISE...LITTLE TO NO
ADJUSTMENT WAS NEEDED. THE LARGE TROUGH FOR THE FIRST PART OF THE
LONG RANGE WILL KEEP IN COLDER TEMPERATURES...WITH A SHORTWAVE
RIDGE EXPECTED IN THE EARLY TO MIDDLE PART OF NEXT WEEK WHICH
SHOULD ACT TO GRADUALLY MODERATE TEMPERATURES. BEYOND THAT PERIOD
UNCERTAINTY RAMPS UP WITH INCREASING SPREAD IN ENSEMBLE 500 MB
HEIGHTS. MALIAWCO

PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...
SYNOPTIC SET UP... LONG RANGE BEGINS WITH A LARGE COLD CORE
TROUGH OVER THE MIDDLE OF CANADA AND THE NORTHERN MIDDLE THIRD OF
THE CONUS. TO THE WEST A BROAD RIDGE SPREADS OVER THE GULF OF
ALASKA INLAND INTO ALASKA, YUKON, AND BRITISH COLUMBIA. FARTHER
WEST ANOTHER TROUGH SETS OVER THE BEARING SEA.

THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... COLD AIR WILL BE IN PLACE EARLY
ON. A SHORTWAVE IN NORTHWEST FLOW COULD PRODUCE SOME WEAK
MOUNTAIN SHOWERS ACROSS FAR WESTERN ZONES SUCH AS THE LITTLE
ROCKIES, PETROLEUM COUNTY, AND THE SNOW BELTS OF GARFIELD COUNTY.

FRIDAY NIGHT THOUGH SUNDAY... WILL TRANSITION RAPIDLY AS THE GULF
OF ALASKA RIDGE MOVES INLAND AND TOPPLES OVER IN THE FLOW INTO A
CHINOOK OVER THE FRONT RANGE. CONDITIONS SHOULD GO DRY THROUGH AT
LEAST SUNDAY. 850 MB TEMPERATURES WILL MAKE IT BACK UP INTO THE
POSITIVE SINGLE DIGITS CELSIUS AT LEAST; WHICH SHOULD TRANSLATE
INTO SURFACE HIGHS IN THE 40S AND 50S.

SUNDAY NIGHT ONWARD... MODE DISAGREEMENT IS IMPROVING... BUT STILL
POOR FROM THIS POINT ONWARD. LOCAL RIDGE MAY BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN
PLACEMENT FOR ABOUT ANOTHER 24 HOURS; BUT, BROAD MODEL CONSENSUS
IS POINTING TOWARDS THE BEARING SEA TROUGH INCOMING BY TUESDAY AT
LEAST WITH SOME POTENTIAL FOR AN ALASKAN NORTH SLOPE AIRMASS TAP.
EXPECT TEMPERATURES TO DROP OFF BELOW CLIMO HERE; BUT, TIMING IN
ANY FRONTAL PASSAGE IS A MESS AND IMPRECISE. GAH

&&

.AVIATION...

SYNOPSIS...A STRONG A COMPACT LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM DESCENDING FROM
THE CANADIAN ROCKIES WILL QUICKLY SWEEP THROUGH NE MONTANA OVER
THE NEXT 24 HOURS...DIRECTING STRONG AND VERY GUSTY WINDS ACROSS
THE REGION.

FLIGHT CONDITIONS...VFR CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TONIGHT WITH
INCREASING MID LEVEL CLOUDINESS. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE
POSSIBLE WITH A COLD FRONT AFTER 04Z WHICH COULD TEMPORARILY
REDUCE VSBYS. SOME LOWER CIGS ARE POSSIBLE TOWARD MORNING AS WELL.

WINDS...WINDS WILL BE SOUTHWEST AT 10 TO 20 KTS TONIGHT WITH
GUSTS TO 30 KTS AT TIMES. AS WINDS INCREASE ALOFT OVERNIGHT...WIND
SHEER ISSUES WILL BEGIN TO IMPACT TAF SITES. STRONG TO DAMAGING
NORTHWEST WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH THE SURFACE WEDNESDAY
MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...MAKING CROSSWIND ISSUES A BIG
PROBLEM FOR TAF SITES. MALIAWCO/MICKELSON

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 2 AM TO 11 PM MST WEDNESDAY FOR CENTRAL
AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS...
GARFIELD...MCCONE...NORTHERN PHILLIPS...NORTHERN VALLEY...
PETROLEUM...SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS...WESTERN ROOSEVELT.

HIGH WIND WARNING FROM 5 AM WEDNESDAY TO 5 AM MST THURSDAY FOR
DAWSON...EASTERN ROOSEVELT...PRAIRIE...RICHLAND...SHERIDAN...
WIBAUX.

&&

WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW

Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 17, 7:13 PM MST, 7 hours 50 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
713 PM MST TUE NOV 17 2015

MTZ016>027-059>062-181100-
CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY-
DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-
RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-
SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT-
713 PM MST TUE NOV 17 2015

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST
MONTANA.

.DAY ONE...TONIGHT

A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING AT 2AM TONIGHT. A
STRONG COLD FRONT IS EXPECTED EARLY WEDNESDAY MORNING. NORTHWEST
WINDS 35 TO 50 MPH SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH ARE EXPECTED
DURING THE DAY WEDNESDAY AND INTO WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

THE HIGH WIND WARNING WILL CONTINUE THROUGH WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Central and Southern Valley

When: November 18, 3:03 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sustained winds of 30 to 35 mph and gusts of 45 to 55 mph were more common across Central and Southern Valley County, but a sudden peak gust of 60 mph with the passage of the squall line was measured at the Glasgow Airport ASOS site at 3:03 AM. Sustained winds steadily dropped back down below 40 mph by 12:30 PM.

High Wind, Little Rocky Mountains

When: November 18, 5:05 AM MST to 12:10 PM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

With strong and gusty winds measured for most of the morning at the Malta South US-191 DOT site, a peak wind gust of 63 mph was recorded at 8:46 AM.

High Wind, Richland

When: November 18, 5:53 AM MST to 3:55 PM MST
Where: Richland forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT, winds suddenly gusted to 60 mph to start the event as the squall line passed through Richland County. The peak wind gust of 61 mph was recorded there at 11:40 AM. Winds diminished below warning criteria at 3:55 PM.

High Wind, Wibaux

When: November 18, 7:31 AM MST to 2:15 PM MST
Where: Wibaux forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

In general, the stronger winds began during the early morning on the 18th and ended during the early morning on the 19th. The peak wind gust of 60 mph was recorded at the Beaver Hill I-94 DOT site at 1:53 PM.

High Wind, Dawson

When: November 18, 7:31 AM MST to 2:15 PM MST
Where: Dawson forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Across Dawson County, sustained winds of 40 mph or greater lasted from early morning to early afternoon on the 18th. Peak wind gusts of 63 mph were recorded a few times from 11:00 to 11:40 AM on the 18th at the Lindsay Divide MT-200 DOT site.

High Wind, Northern Valley

When: November 18, 7:44 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Valley forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) estimated gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Although sustained winds of 30 to 35 mph were more common, a few stronger gusts helped to verify this warning for Northern Valley County. A peak wind gust of 68 mph was estimated by a trained spotter located 8 miles ENE of Baylor at 2:45 PM.

High Wind, McCone

When: November 18, 8:30 AM MST to 5:30 PM MST
Where: McCone forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sustained winds of at least 40 mph were common through most of the day across McCone County. Peak wind gusts of 60 mph were recorded at the Fort Peck Dam handar site from 9:30 AM to 12:30 PM.

High Wind, Sheridan

When: November 18, 9:30 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where: Sheridan forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

With a communications outage making area DOT site observations unavailable and with no other reports, chose to rely on the Crosby, ND RAWS site just a few miles outside the NE corner of Sheridan County, Montana, where a peak wind gust of 68 mph was recorded at 11:56 AM.

High Wind, Garfield

When: November 18, 10:48 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Sustained winds of 30 to 35 mph and gusts of 45 to 55 mph were more common across Garfield County, but a peak wind gust of 59 mph was recorded at 10:48 AM at the Jordan Airport ASOS site.

High Wind, Daniels

When: November 18, 11:30 AM MST to 1:30 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Measured: 35 kt (40 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the Scobey Airport mesonet site, sustained winds of 40 to 41 mph were recorded for 2 to 3 hours through the middle portion of the day. Event times are estimated.

High Wind, Western Roosevelt

When: November 18, 12:18 PM MST to 3:30 PM MST
Where: Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Wind at or above 40 mph began around mid-day and ended later that afternoon with a peak wind gust of 59 mph recorded at 1:18 PM at the Poplar RAWS site.

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 2015 Every state in 2015 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 2015

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: 605437, 605391, 605388, 605385, 605387, 605390, 605392, 605389, 605430, 605436, 605431.