Name: High Wind in Montana, December 15, 2018
Start: 2018-12-15T06:45
End: 2018-12-15T11:56
Location: Montana

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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 strong low pressure trough from the west, allowed stronger winds from above to reach down to the surface amid a chinook effect off the slope of the higher terrain across central portions of eastern 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 Dec 15, 3:55 AM MST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 15, 3:55 AM MST, 2 hours 50 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
355 AM MST Sat Dec 15 2018

.DISCUSSION...
Shortwave trof pushing across the northern Rockies this morning,
keeping a mixed airmass over central Montana. With warm overnight
temperatures and poor humidity recovery, fire weather concerns are
elevated for the snow free areas in the southwest portion of the
cwa for today. Adding to the concerns today will be strengthening winds
as the shortwave enhances mixing with cold air advection.

Mild conditions continue into next week with the western ridge
rebounding. Next feature of note will be shortwave pushing across
the state on Monday night. Strong zonal jet follows before another
shortwave dives across the region on Wednesday.

Upper ridge again rebounds for the end of the week. Models giving
some indication of precipitation leading into next weekend with
another shortwave pushing through the northern Rockies. Ebert

&&

.AVIATION...
VFR conditions expected with high clouds. LLWS is expected this
morning before a frontal passage brings strong winds to the region
in the afternoon.

&&

.GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...NONE.

&&

weather.gov/glasgow

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Little Rocky Mountains

When: December 15, 6:45 AM MST to 11:56 AM MST
Where: Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the Malta South US-191 DOT site, sustained winds of 40 mph or greater were measured each hour between 6:45 AM and 11:56 AM. Wind gusts of 58 mph were recorded both at 9:45 AM and 10:15 AM. The peak wind gust of 60 mph was recorded at 11:15 AM.

High Wind, Garfield

When: December 15, 9:08 AM MST
Where: Garfield forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: RAWS
Coordinates: 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At the South Sawmill Creek RAWS site, a 58 mph wind gust was measured in the hour preceding 9:08 AM.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, December 2018

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: 796728, 796733.