Strong northwest winds, as a result of a tight east-west pressure gradient, resulted in some high wind gusts across the area.
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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 BYZ wrote it up.
Strong northwest winds, as a result of a tight east-west pressure gradient, resulted in some high wind gusts across the area.
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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 23, 2:22 AM MST, 11 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
322 AM MDT Fri Mar 23 2018
.SHORT TERM...valid for Tdy and Sat...
Rain and mountain snow was affecting much of the area overnight
as a warm front lifted north and east through the region. Snow
levels were generally above 9,000 feet. Strong southeast winds
across eastern areas will gradually decrease through the morning,
shifting to the west and northwest this afternoon. Shower chances
will continue across the area today as energy embedded in
southwest flow aloft moves through the region. Showers diminish
this evening as heights build aloft and forcing wanes. A shortwave
and associated cold front are progged to move through the region
on Saturday bringing more rain and mountain snow shower chances.
Associated pressure falls over the area will cause winds to
increase across the western foothills Saturday afternoon and
evening.
High temperatures will range from the 50s in the west today, to
the lower 40s in the east, with 40s and 50s for highs on Saturday.
Low temperatures generally in the 20a can be expected tonight and
Saturday night. We will continue to monitor streams/rivers for ice
jams and potential low-land flooding. STP
.LONG TERM...valid for Sun...Mon...Tue...Wed...Thu...
Southwesterly upper-level flow should bring mountain snow showers
and scattered lower-elevation rain showers to much of the area on
Sunday. Downsloping flow looks to limit precipitation especially over
the central areas. A shortwave trough moving northeastward over
the Northern Rockies should then bring wet snow mainly to north
central WY and southeast MT /east and southeast of Billings/
Sunday night into Monday. A few inches of wet snow look possible
over this area. Models agree on the track of this system, which
is boosting confidence in the placement of the snow.
Shortwave ridging builds in for Tuesday, bringing dry weather to
the region. Then some weak disturbances embedded in northwesterly
flow aloft can bring a few rain and snow showers to the region on
Wednesday. Ridging and dry weather return for Thursday. Upper
cyclonic flow with more weak disturbances can bring scattered rain
and snow showers again on Friday.
High temperatures should generally be in the 40s to lower 50s
Sunday through Friday. Coolest days should be Sunday and Monday,
with a pocket of 30s likely Monday over north central
WY/southeast MT in the snow. RMS
&&
.AVIATION...
Expect obscurations in snow showers over the Beartooth/Absaroka
and Bighorn Mountains today. Over the plains, numerous rain
showers early this morning should transition to scattered showers
for this afternoon. The showers can cause brief MVFR conditions.
Intermittent MVFR due to low stratus is possible over SE MT
through the day today. In addition, LLWS is expected over SE MT
and north central WY this morning with the strongest winds over SE
MT approaching 60 kt at 1500-2000 feet AGL. These winds should
weaken to 30 to 40 kt after 16z. RMS
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 049 028/049 029/043 027/043 026/046 031/047 030/049
2/O 12/W 23/W 32/O 10/U 32/W 21/B
LVM 054 031/048 025/043 024/043 023/048 029/050 029/053
2/O 24/W 23/W 41/B 12/W 33/W 11/N
HDN 046 025/048 026/043 025/043 022/046 028/046 027/048
2/O 02/W 23/W 43/O 10/U 32/W 21/B
MLS 042 024/047 027/043 027/040 023/043 029/043 026/045
4/S 02/W 32/W 34/O 10/U 21/B 11/B
4BQ 042 022/050 027/044 026/040 022/044 028/044 024/047
3/O 01/N 23/W 47/O 10/U 22/W 11/B
BHK 039 023/043 028/041 026/037 021/041 026/040 023/042
4/S 11/N 31/E 35/O 10/U 31/N 21/B
SHR 048 025/056 029/044 025/040 021/045 027/047 026/049
4/O 01/U 24/W 65/O 10/U 32/W 21/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
308 AM MDT FRI MAR 23 2018
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SE ALZADA 45.00N 104.37W
03/23/2018 M54.00 MPH CARTER MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
0241 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 SSE BAKER 46.35N 104.26W
03/23/2018 M56.00 MPH FALLON MT ASOS
&&
STPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted 56 to 64 mph across the area for a short period of time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2018Every state in 2018This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2018
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: 743942.