With strong mid- and low-level winds over the region, atmospheric conditions were favorable to allow much of those stronger winds to reach the surface amid a tight pressure gradient.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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.
With strong mid- and low-level winds over the region, atmospheric conditions were favorable to allow much of those stronger winds to reach the surface amid a tight pressure gradient.
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 Feb 18, 8:11 PM MST, 9 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 811 PM MST THU FEB 18 2016 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... EVENING UPDATE TO ACCOUNT FOR THE FOG THAT IS LINGERING NORTH OF HIGHWAY 2 AND EAST OF HIGHWAY 24. ALSO SOME MINOR WEATHER ELEMENT UPDATES. LIGHT RAINFALL FALLING THROUGH THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE CWA WITH ONLY A FEW HUNDREDTHS OF AN INCH BEING REPORTED. WINDS ARE PICKING UP FROM OUR WEST/SOUTHWEST COUNTIES AND WILL GRADUALLY MAKE THEIR WAY EAST. NOT SEEING SOME OF THE GUSTS THAT HAVE OCCURRED IN CENTRAL MONTANA WITH THE FRONT AND SHOWERS ALONG THE FRONT...BUT A GUST TO 45 OR 50 MPH WOULD NOT SUPRISE ME AS THE 00Z SOUNDINGS AT TFX AND GGW SUPPORT THAT. TWO SURFACE LOW PRESSURE SYSTEMS CONNECTED WITH A WARM FRONT MOVING ACROSS THE STATE. THE CANADIAN LOW IS NORTH OF THE HAVRE AREA WITH IT STRETCHING TO THE SE MT AND NW SD BORDER. TEMPERATURES ARE PRETTY WARM BEHIND THE FRONT WITH READINGS IN THE 40S TO LOWER 50S ATTM...VERY RARE FOR FEBRUARY. FRANSEN A DISORGANIZED UPPER TROUGH IS CURRENTLY MAKING ITS WAY THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. THE RESULTING LEE SIDE TROUGH WILL CONTINUE TO DEEPEN...RESULTING IN A TIGHTENING PRESSURE GRADIENT AND FINALLY A PAIR OF CLIPPER SYSTEMS...ONE TO OUR NORTH AND ONE TO OUR SOUTH. THESE CLIPPERS WILL BRING INCREASING WINDS TONIGHT...AND SUBSEQUENT MIXING ESPECIALLY OVER HIGHER RIDGES AND HILLTOPS. THE HIGH WIND WARNING CURRENTLY IN EFFECT FOR AREAS SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...AND THE LITTLE ROCKIES LOOKS ON TRACK FOR NOW. PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO OCCUR WITH THE UPPER TROUGH TONIGHT...BUT WARM TEMPERATURES DUE TO BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL KEEP THE PRECIP TYPE ALL RAIN. HOWEVER...SAID PRECIPITATION COULD PROVIDE A MECHANISM FOR STRONGER WINDS ALOFT TO SURFACE...SOMETHING THAT WILL NEED TO BE WATCHED. FRIDAY MORNING WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN...FINALLY PEAKING OUT IN THE EARLY AFTERNOON. ANY LINGERING POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT RAIN WILL LIE NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...NEAR THE NORTH DAKOTA BORDER. SOME PARTIAL CLEARING WILL TAKE PLACE ACROSS THE SOUTH DURING THE AFTERNOON ON THE HEELS OF THE NOW EXITING SYSTEM. FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY ANOTHER DISTURBANCE WILL PUSH IN FROM THE WEST...SPINNING UP ANOTHER CLIPPER SYSTEM. PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BE MIXED...INCLUDING FREEZING RAIN...FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY MORNING THANKS TO COLDER SURFACE TEMPS. SATURDAY WILL AGAIN BE BREEZY THANKS TO THE PASSING CLIPPER...BUT WIND SPEEDS WILL BE LOWER THAN ON FRIDAY. GILCHRIST .LONG TERM...SATURDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY... THE EXTENDED FORECAST PERIOD BEGINS WITH LINGERING SHORT WAVE IMPULSES AND DISTURBANCES RIDING THROUGH AN OTHERWISE NW FLOW ALOFT. MODELS IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT IN PUSHING THROUGH A COLD FRONT AND ITS ASSOCIATED LIGHT RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS. THERE ALSO IS THE OFF CHANCE FOR SOME FREEZING RAIN OR SLEET MIXING IN THERE TOO COME SATURDAY EVENING FOR THE NE CORNER OF THE STATE. AFTERWARDS...OTHER THAN A SMALL CHANCE OF PRECIP FOR PETROLEUM COUNTY MONDAY MORNING...THE REMAINDER OF THE EXTENDED FORECAST CALLS FOR DRY NW FLOW ALOFT WITH LOWS IN THE 20S AND HIGHS IN THE 30S AND 40S. LOOKS TO BE RELATIVELY QUIET WEATHER WEEK. BMICKELSON PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...SYNOPTIC SETUP... LONG RANGE BEGINS WITH A LARGE ARCTIC AIR MASS OVER THE HUDSON BAY AND AN LARGE RIDGE OVER ALASKA AND WESTERN CANADA. NORTHEAST MONTANA BEGINS BETWEEN THESE TWO LARGE FEATURES UNDER NORTHWEST TO ZONAL FLOW WITH A LOCAL MESO TROUGH. FARTHER WEST... A SECOND LARGE TROUGH RESIDES OVER THE GULF OF ALASKA. SATURDAY NIGHT... MESO-TROUGH WILL IMPACT THE CWA BRINGING AN INCREASED CHANCE FOR POPS AND SLIGHT DECREASE IN TEMPERATURES. RIGHT NOW PRECIPITATION LOOKS MIXED WITH RAIN TO SNOW BUT RATHER LIGHT DUE TO A LIMITED MOISTURE FEED. SUNDAY ONWARD...CANADIAN RIDGE WILL ARRIVE AND THEN PARTIALLY WASH OUT. CONDITIONS BECOME CLOSER TO A DRY CLIMATOLOGY DURING THIS TIME WITH SUBSTANTIAL SWINGS FROM ONE MODEL TO THE NEXT BEYOND MONDAY... LOWERING CONFIDENCE. HOWEVER GFS AND EC ARE HINTING AT A LARGE SYNOPTIC RIDGE DEVELOPING OVER THE WESTERN CONUS AND CANADA LATE IN THE WEEK.... WHICH SHOULD HAVE A STRONG INFLUENCE FOR HIGHER TEMPERATURES AND CONTINUING DRY CONDITIONS IF IT COMES TRUE. THE GOOD NEWS IS THERE STILL APPEARS TO BE NO ARCTIC AIR MASS OUTBREAKS. GAH && .AVIATION... SYNOPSIS/FOG: A STRONG FRONT FROM THE WEST IS PUSHING THROUGH CENTRAL MONTANA WHILE A STUBBORN CORNER OF DENSE FOG HOLDS ON OVER DANIELS, SHERIDAN, AND ROOSEVELT COUNTY. INCOMING RAIN SHOWERS IN MID TO LATE EVENING WILL SCOUR OUT ANY FOG/LOW STRATUS. LLWS: A NARROW WINDOW FOR LLWS EXISTS JUST BEFORE FRONTAL PASSAGE AS THE RAIN SHOWERS MOVE THROUGH. WITH THE FRONTS PASSAGE STRONGWINDS WILL REACH TO THE SURFACE AND LLWS THREAT SHOULD QUICKLY BE OVER. WINDS: VARIABLE EARLY THIS EVENING. LATE TONIGHT EXPECT 20 TO 30 MPH FROM THE WEST WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH...THEN 30 TO 40 MPH SUSTAINED ON FRIDAY WITH GUSTS UP TO 60...ESPECIALLY FOR KGDV AND KSDY GAH/BLM && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 7 PM MST FRIDAY FOR DAWSON...GARFIELD... MCCONE...PRAIRIE...RICHLAND...WIBAUX. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 3 PM MST FRIDAY FOR PETROLEUM... SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. DENSE FOG ADVISORY UNTIL 9 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR SHERIDAN. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 243 PM MST THU FEB 18 2016 MTZ021>027-060-191100- PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 243 PM MST THU FEB 18 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT ACROSS THE REGION AND A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR TONIGHT AND FRIDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A HIGH WIND WARNING CONTINUES UNTIL FRIDAY EVENING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ019-191100- SHERIDAN- 243 PM MST THU FEB 18 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT EXPECT AREAS OF DENSE FOG THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON. BLACK ICE IS ALSO A POSSIBILITY. A DENSE FOG ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM THIS AFTERNOON. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY GUSTY WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 35 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ016>018-020-059-061-062-191100- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY- EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 243 PM MST THU FEB 18 2016 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY GUSTY WEST WINDS OF 25 TO 40 MPH ARE POSSIBLE ON FRIDAY. .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.
8 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
At the Malta South US-191 DOT site, winds meeting high wind criteria occurred on the evening of the 18th and the morning of the 19th with a peak wind gust of 65 mph at 4:23 am MST.
At the 13SW Malta mesonet site, sustained winds of 40 mph were common from the evening of the 18th through the morning of the 19th with a peak wind gust of 65 recorded at 11:30 am MST on the 19th.
Sustained winds near 40 mph were common during the morning of the 19th with peak wind gusts of 59 mph recorded both at the Jordan airport ASOS site and at the South Sawmill Creek RAWS site.
Sustained winds of at least 40 mph were common late in the morning with a peak wind gust of 62 mph recorded early in the afternoon at the Beaver Hill I-94 DOT site. Winds diminished again by mid afternoon.
With sustained winds near and above 40 mph late in the morning, a verifying wind gust of 58 mph was recorded at the Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT site just after mid-day, and peak wind gusts of 60 mph were recorded both there and at the Sidney airport AWOS site early that afternoon.
Sustained winds of at least 40 mph were common late in the morning with a peak wind gust of 62 mph recorded early in the afternoon at the Beaver Hill I-94 DOT site. Winds diminished again by mid afternoon.
At the Wolf Point airport ASOS site, a lone peak wind gust of 60 mph was recorded at the 11:53 am MST observation. The next observation 4 minutes later had winds back down below warning criteria.
At the King Coulee RAWS site, sustained winds of at least 40 mph were common during the late morning and afternoon hours with the peak wind gust of 63 mph recorded at 1:44 MST pm.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2016
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: 621076, 621081, 621071, 621074, 621072, 621073, 621070, 621084.