High Wind in Idaho, June 6, 2019

Name: High Wind in Idaho, June 6, 2019
Start: 2019-06-06T19:15
End: 2019-06-06T20:00
Location: Idaho

June 6, 2019 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

The combination of a cold front passage and outflow winds from nearby showers brought strong winds during the early evening hours.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Heat and drought
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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $5,000
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 MSO wrote it up.

The combination of a cold front passage and outflow winds from nearby showers brought strong winds during the early evening hours.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jun 6, 1:33 PM MST, 5 hours 42 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jun 6, 1:33 PM MST, 5 hours 42 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
233 PM MDT Thu Jun 6 2019

.DISCUSSION...A favorable convective wind profile and significant
instability may support isolated strong thunderstorms over
southwest Montana into this evening. Strong winds and isolated hail
is possible with the stronger storm.

A strong cold front will shift across west central/southwest
Montana and Lemhi County this evening. Much cooler air will spread
across area with windy conditions through the evening.

It is interesting...the differences Thursday afternoon on both
sides of the cold front. In the cold air behind the cold front,
temperatures have dropped to the mid 40s in Grangeville. Well
ahead of the cold front, temperatures have soared into the mid to
upper 80s from Salmon to Bozeman.

A large area of precipitation exists on the cold side of the cold
front and over north central Idaho and parts of northwest Montana
Thursday afternoon. This area of light to moderate rain will
shift across west central and southwest Montana into the evening
and overnight period. Quite cool air behind the front will lower
the snow levels to around 5000 to 6000 feet. However, snow
impacts will be mostly over the higher terrain and scattered by
Friday morning with little or no main travel roads expected to be
significantly impacted.

A very cool trough of low pressure will shift over the northern
Rockies Friday and persist into Saturday producing more scattered
light showers, scattered light snow over higher terrain, and day
time temperatures 10 to 15 degrees below normal.

The good news for those that want drier and warmer conditions is
high pressure will begin to rebuild over the northern Rockies
Sunday. Substantial warming and dry conditions are expected into
mid next week as the high pressure system persists.

&&

.AVIATION...A cold front will march eastward across west
central/Southwest Montana and Lemhi County into the this evening.
Along and just in front of the cold front, significant instability
should support isolated strong thunderstorms as well. KGPI will
continue to experience decreased visibility in light rain at
times through 07/0300Z. A thunderstorms is possible for KMSO
through 07/0200Z, KSMN through 07/0400Z, and KBTM through
07/0400Z. Wind gusts 30-40 knots are expected for KSMN, and KBTM
during this time as well. Terrain obscurations will increase
across the Bitterroots and Sapphires into the evening and the
remainder of southwest Montana tonight.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Wind Advisory until 10 PM MDT this evening Butte/Blackfoot
     Region.

     Wind Advisory until 8 PM MDT this evening Bitterroot/Sapphire
     Mountains...Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.

ID...Wind Advisory until 10 PM MDT this evening Eastern Lemhi County.

&&

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Lemhi County

When: June 6, 7:15 PM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Lemhi County forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 44.943, -113.933 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Strong winds were observed during the evening of the 6th in Salmon as well as in the neighboring foothills west and south of town. The peak gust of 59 mph was measured by a trained spotter just west of downtown Salmon with other sites measuring wind gust to 50 mph. Several large trees and branches came down, damaging vehicles and blocking local roads briefly. Power outages were also noted.

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 Idaho in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Idaho, June 2019

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: 827091.