High Wind in Montana, May 24, 2017

Name: High Wind in Montana, May 24, 2017
Start: 2017-05-24T08:18
End: 2017-05-24T23:01
Location: Montana

May 24, 2017 · NWS TFX · 16 events in 9 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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 TFX wrote it up.

A strong upper level shortwave moved across southern Canada while an area of low pressure rapidly strengthened in the lee of the Rockies. As the surface low moved into Canada, it dragged a strong cold front across the area. All of this combined to bring a period of high winds to portions of central and Southwest 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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 24, 4:51 AM MST, 3 hours 27 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 24, 4:51 AM MST, 3 hours 27 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
551 AM MDT Wed May 24 2017

...Update to Aviation...

.SYNOPSIS...

A low pressure system will bring strong winds across much of north
central Montana today. Damaging winds of 50 mph or more are possible
for these mentioned areas today...through tonight...and possibly
into Thursday morning. Mild temperatures will be found this
morning...with a cold front cooling temperatures to below normal
readings for later today through Thursday. A few scattered showers
are also possible later today and again on Thursday. Memorial Day
weekend will start out cool with a few showers. Sunday into Memorial
Day will then see warming temperatures with only a few isolated
showers at times.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Today through Friday...North Central Montana remains in the cross
hairs of a strong upper level jet and surface cold front that will
bring increasingly strong winds and falling temperatures today.
Current High Wind Warning continues to look sufficient for
anticipated winds. Cooler temperatures and showery weather
conditions can be expected Thursday and Friday as well. Latest
model runs have backed off a bit on the strength of northwest
winds over the plains on Thursday so current thinking is that no
further high wind highlights will be required in the short term
period. mpj

Friday night through Wednesday...Overall a large upper level low
will influence our weather through the Holiday Weekend...with a
ridge trying to build in next week. Friday night through Saturday a
large upper low in Canada will attempt to enter the states keeping
us in an unsettled northwest flow pattern to start Memorial Day
Weekend. Limited moisture and instability will be found with this
pattern...bringing some scattered showers and a few weak
thunderstorms through Saturday. Best chance for precip is still west
and south of a line from about Cut Bank to Lewistown to Billings,
with more isolated activity east of this line. Ridge tries to build
in the region on Sunday and Memorial Day...although with the large
upper low across the Northern Plains we never fully escape the north
to northwest flow. Models now indicate enough of the ridge enters
our cwa making for a decent second half to Memorial Day weekend with
warming temperatures and only isolated shower and thunderstorm
activity. More of the ridge moves into the area for Tuesday into
Wednesday, however, it flattens quickly leaving us vulnerable to
weak disturbances riding over the top of it. The result will be
chances for scattered afternoon and evening shower and thunderstorm
activity each day. Thunderstorms and this point look to be weak and
limited in coverage. Each day will be warmer than the previous in
the long term. Memorial Day high temperatures in the 70s are
expected...with this warming trend looking to continue into next
week. The large disturbance to our east may linger some breezy nw
flow on Saturday...and to a lesser extend on Sunday. Lighter winds
should then be found on Memorial Day into next week. Anglin

&&

.AVIATION...
Updated 1151Z.

Deep upper level low in southern British Columbia/Alberta with
strong jet streak and surface cold front poised to sweep through
Montana this morning. Very strong winds expected along the Rocky
Mountain Front and over the adjacent plains of North Central Montana
through 06Z Thursday. Scattered showers develop after 00Z Thursday
with mountain obscurations likely and occasional IFR/MVFR conditions
in precipitation at forecast terminals overnight. mpj

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  65  43  60  40 /  10  30  30  20
CTB  59  41  58  38 /  20  50  30  30
HLN  69  44  62  42 /   0  20  30  30
BZN  69  39  58  38 /  10  20  20  20
WEY  69  29  50  30 /  10  10  20  40
DLN  69  36  57  37 /   0  10  30  30
HVR  69  45  62  40 /  10  40  30  10
LWT  66  40  56  37 /   0  30  30  20

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
High Wind Warning until midnight MDT tonight Blaine...Cascade...
Central and Southern Lewis and Clark...Chouteau...Eastern
Glacier...Eastern Pondera...Eastern Teton...Fergus...Hill...
Judith Basin...Liberty...Toole.

High Wind Warning until midnight MDT tonight Northern Rocky
Mountain Front...Southern Rocky Mountain Front.

&&

weather.gov/greatfalls

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 24, 6:34 AM MST, 1 hour 44 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
734 AM MDT WED MAY 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0544 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 1 ENE EAST GLACIER PARK 48.45N 113.20W
05/24/2017  M58 MPH          GLACIER            MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTBRN, TWO MEDICINE BRIDGE
            MDT.

&&

BH

Local storm report, May 24, 7:01 AM MST, 1 hour 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
801 AM MDT WED MAY 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0708 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW CUT BANK           48.60N 112.38W
05/24/2017  M58 MPH          GLACIER            MT   ASOS

            ASOS STATION CTB, CUT BANK AIRPORT.

&&

BH

Local storm report, May 24, 7:24 AM MST, 54 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
824 AM MDT WED MAY 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0806 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 6 NNW SUNBURST          48.96N 111.94W
05/24/2017  M60 MPH          TOOLE              MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTSWT, SWEET GRASS MDT.

&&

BH

Local storm report, May 24, 8:01 AM MST, 17 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
901 AM MDT WED MAY 24 2017

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0858 AM     HIGH SUST WINDS  MALMSTROM AFB           47.50N 111.19W
05/24/2017  M41 MPH          CASCADE            MT   AWOS

            AWOS STATION GFA, MALMSTROM AFB.

&&

BH

Event by event

16 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Hill

When: May 24, 8:18 AM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Peak wind gust measured at a mesonet site 3 miles NNW of Havre.

High Wind, Judith Basin

When: May 24, 10:58 AM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS

Peak wind gust measured at the Bravo military site.

High Wind, Hill

When: May 24, 11:05 AM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Peak gust measured at sation E1937.

High Wind, Hill

When: May 24, 12:03 PM MST
Where: Hill forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

Peak wind gust at the Havre Airport.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: May 24, 12:24 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Peak wind gust at the Browning 2 ESE mesonet site.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: May 24, 1:21 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Peak wind gust at the Pendroy DOT site.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: May 24, 1:37 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Peak wind gust measured at the Two Medicine DOT site.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: May 24, 1:45 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

Peak wind gust at the Cut Bank Airport.

High Wind, Eastern Teton

When: May 24, 2:15 PM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Peak wind gust measured by a local trained spotter.

High Wind, Toole

When: May 24, 2:30 PM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Peak wind gust at a mesonet site 6 miles northwest of Devon.

High Wind, Gallatin

When: May 24, 2:35 PM MST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS

Peak wind gust at the West Yellowstone Airport.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: May 24, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Peak wind gust at the Dellwo mesonet site (DELMT).

High Wind, Toole

When: May 24, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Peak wind gust at the Sunburst DOT site.

High Wind, Gallatin

When: May 24, 5:00 PM MST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Peak wind gust at the Bozeman Pass DOT site.

High Wind, Blaine

When: May 24, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: COOP Observer

Peak gust measured by a COOP observer in Chinook.

High Wind, Blaine

When: May 24, 11:01 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: COOP Observer

Wind gust from a shower, possibly a decaying thunderstorm.

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 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, May 2017

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: 699635, 699625, 702885, 702907, 702887, 702894, 699626, 702893, 699624, 699627, 702910, 702890, 702892, 702913, 699637, 703080.