High Wind in Montana, February 8, 2018

Name: High Wind in Montana, February 8, 2018
Start: 2018-02-08T15:28
End: 2018-02-08T15:28
Location: Montana

February 8, 2018 · NWS TFX · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Passing disturbance caused strong downsloping winds across a large portion of Northern and Central Montana.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 1

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.

Passing disturbance caused strong downsloping winds across a large portion of Northern and Central 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 Feb 8, 3:05 PM MST, 23 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 8, 3:05 PM MST, 23 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
305 PM MST Thu Feb 8 2018

.SYNOPSIS...

Widespread light to moderate snow continues across North-central
Montana through early Friday morning. Areas of blowing snow will
create difficult travel conditions. Temperatures will fall rapidly
this evening as a cold front advances further through Southwest
Montana. Wet roads will become icy as temperatures fall, followed
by light snow accumulations through mid-day Friday. Snow clears
from north to south on Friday, with bitter cold temperatures
following Saturday morning.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Tonight through Saturday...Widespread light snow continues across
North-central Montana through early Friday morning. Weak mid-
level instability has produced snow bands. Snowfall rates are
generally light while a narrow corridor of dry air is crossing
the northern Rockies into central MT, but locally heavier snow
continues to organize into convective bands. Furthermore, strong
surface pressure rises are producing strong northerly wind gusts,
which are resulting in blowing snow and low wind chill values.
Hazardous driving conditions will continue tonight due to these
combination of winter weather elements. As the sharply defined
Arctic front progresses further south, any wet roads are expected
to flash freeze. The potential for freezing rain has diminished
overall, but cannot be ruled out for some lower elevation
locations across the Southwest MT early this evening. Areas of
snow with a few inches of new accumulation are expected overnight
through Friday across Southwest MT. As one shortwave trough passes
through the area this evening, subsidence will limit snowfall
rates. However, another shortwave is positioned just upstream in
the northwest flow. Model guidance suggests that snowfall will
decline for a short time this evening, then redevelop overnight
into early Friday. Overall snow declines from North to South on
Friday as this system finally moves away. Ridging over the PacNW
Friday night will produce a dry northerly flow aloft, resulting in
clearing skies and bitterly cold temperatures for Saturday
morning. PN

Saturday Night through Thursday...Medium range models are in good
agreement with the forecast solution this period. A strong upper
level high pressure ridge will remain over the northeast Pacific
Ocean and a deep upper level low pressure trough will stay in place
over central and eastern North America. This will keep Montana under
a north-northwest flow aloft, which will move two shortwave troughs
from the Gulf of Alaska through the forecast area. One shortwave
will bring a good chance of snow for Sunday night into Monday, and
the second one will hit the area with another good chance of snow
Tuesday night into Wednesday. Light to moderate measurable snow is
possible with each of these systems, so winter weather highlights
may be needed. Temperatures are forecast to be around normal (highs
30s, lows teens) in between these systems. However, with the passage
of the systems, temperatures will likely fall to between 10 and 15
degrees below normal in the southwest and between 15 and 25 degrees
below normal over the plains.
Coulston

&&

.AVIATION...
Updated 1800Z.

LIFR/VLIFR conditions now prevail across North-central MT in
widespread snow. Any water remaining on runways at KHLN/KBZN from
earlier rain is expected to freeze as a cold front surges south
this afternoon. Flight conditions decline from VFR to LIFR this
afternoon and evening as snow moves north to south. All terminals
receive snow at some point overnight, with conditions beginning
to improve Friday morning across the north. Strong northwest winds
aloft over the advancing cold front create the potential for
LLWS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  -5   0 -16  23 / 100  50  10   0
CTB -10   1 -15  25 / 100  20  10   0
HLN   5  11  -7  17 / 100  40  20   0
BZN  11  21  -1  23 /  70  70  20  10
WEY  19  27 -10  19 /  40  60  30  10
DLN  20  28   8  26 /  30  30  20  10
HVR -14  -3 -24  13 /  80  10   0   0
LWT  -6   3 -20  21 / 100  40  10   0

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Storm Warning until 5 PM MST Friday Broadwater...Central
and Southern Lewis and Clark...Jefferson...Meagher.

Winter Storm Warning until 6 AM MST Friday Blaine...Chouteau...
Eastern Glacier...Fergus...Hill...Judith Basin...Liberty...Toole.

Winter Weather Advisory from 6 PM this evening to 5 PM MST
Friday Gallatin.

Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Friday Cascade...Eastern
Pondera...Eastern Teton.

Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST Friday Northern Rocky
Mountain Front...Southern Rocky Mountain Front.

&&

http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls

In the hours before

Local storm report, Feb 8, 9:41 AM MST, 5 hours 47 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
941 AM MST THU FEB 8 2018

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

0749 AM     FREEZING RAIN    5 SSE CHOTEAU           47.75N 112.12W
02/08/2018  U0.00 INCH       TETON              MT   LAW ENFORCEMENT

            TETON COUNTY DEPUTIES REPORTED FREEZING RAIN
            AT FREEZEOUT LAKE ON US HWY 89 SOUTH OF
            CHOTEAU.

&&

CC

Local storm report, Feb 8, 11:40 AM MST, 3 hours 48 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1140 AM MST THU FEB 8 2018

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

1139 AM     SNOW             17 WSW BYNUM            47.87N 112.63W
02/08/2018  E4.0 INCH        TETON              MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            ESTIMATED 4 INCHES NEW SNOW SINCE ABOUT 7AM.
            BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW.

&&

PN

Local storm report, Feb 8, 1:13 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
113 PM MST THU FEB 8 2018

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

0112 PM     SNOW             GRASS RANGE             47.03N 108.80W
02/08/2018  E3.0 INCH        FERGUS             MT   TRAINED SPOTTER

            SNOW TOTAL FOR OVERNIGHT. STOPPED SNOWING
            AROUND NOON. ROADS ARE VERY ICY, SPOTTER
            SUSPECTS THEY ALSO RECEIVED SOME FZRA
            OVERNIGHT.

&&

MPJ

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: February 8, 3:28 PM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

Sieben Flats MDT station measured a 59 mph wind gust.

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 2018 Every state in 2018 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 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: 738306.