The passage of a large Pacific disturbance increased winds along the Rocky Mountain Front and the adjacent plains.
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 TFX wrote it up.
The passage of a large Pacific disturbance increased winds along the Rocky Mountain Front and the adjacent plains.
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 Jan 5, 10:44 PM MST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 1044 PM MST Sat Jan 5 2019 ...UPDATED AVIATION DISCUSSION... .UPDATE... No significant changes to the forecast. Expect a calm night with moisture and winds increasing from the west through the night. && .SYNOPSIS... High pressure and pleasant conditions across the region today. The next weather moves in Saturday night into Sunday, bringing mountain snow to Southwest Montana and the Continental Divide, while the remainder of the area will continue to see breezy winds and mild temperatures into Monday. Overall expect another warmer than average and occasionally windy next week. && .AVIATION... Updated 0600Z. Clouds will increase through the night...although VFR conditions are still expected through Sunday morning. Partly cloudy skies and increasing winds will then be found for northern and central sites. Meanwhile...southwestern sites will see continued cloudiness and perhaps a few scattered snow showers. Overall VFR conditions are expected for most sites...with some brief MVFR conditions with any snow showers across the southwest. Breezy winds and VFR conditions are then expected for Sunday evening. Strong winds could bring mountain wave turbulence and areas of low level winds shear for Sunday. Clouds and mountain snow showers may also obscure mountains at times. Anglin && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 720 PM MST Sat Jan 5 2019/ Today through Monday...High pressure keeps mainly dry and partly cloudy conditions today. Ridge then moves into the Dakotas tonight into Sunday, opening the door for broad scale troughing to influence our weather. The result will be the return of breezy winds to most areas, and some mountain snow showers. Currently winds appear to be strong at times, especially across the Rocky Mountain Front and adjacent high plains. This has resulted in the issuance of a High Wind Warning, although the winds do not look to be as strong as recent events. Accumulating snow across far southwest Montana, including the West Yellowstone area, has also resulted in a Winter Weather Advisory being issued. Persistent light snowfall could be found in this area after midnight tonight through the day Sunday. Temperatures Sunday will once again be mild across Central Montana but near normal for the Southwest. A brief lull in the winds and snow expected Sunday evening before a secondary disturbance brings another round of mountain snow and breezy conditions. Impacts from this system may be a bit more widespread and continue into Monday. Overall those across far southwest Montana should prepare for the return of winter conditions which may last off and on Sunday through Monday and bring a two day snowfall of 4 to 8 inches with higher amounts in the mountains. Monday night through Saturday...Another ridge will end precipitation and breezy winds Monday night. This ridge should keep a quiet weather pattern through Tuesday, with temperatures remaining near normal. A break down of the ridge could then bring more mountain snow showers, scattered lower elevations showers, and some breezy winds Wednesday through Thursday. These breezy winds could also warm temperatures to near to slightly above normal readings. Models then indicate a more prominent ridge builds by the end of next week into next weekend. This could bring several days of near to slightly above normal temperatures, dry conditions, and lighter winds. Anglin && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 32 46 28 40 / 10 10 0 10 CTB 26 44 24 36 / 10 10 0 0 HLN 26 42 23 37 / 10 10 10 20 BZN 25 42 20 36 / 10 30 10 30 WEY 20 25 15 20 / 100 100 70 80 DLN 25 37 18 33 / 10 10 10 20 HVR 27 47 28 39 / 10 20 0 10 LWT 30 45 25 37 / 10 20 0 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST Monday Gallatin... Madison. High Wind Warning from 5 AM to 8 PM MST Sunday Northern Rocky Mountain Front. High Wind Warning from 9 AM to 8 PM MST Sunday Eastern Glacier. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
MT DOT Two Medicine Bridge station reported a wind gust of 70 mph.
The Sourdough Ridge station reported a wind gust of 67 mph.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2019
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: 794854, 794857.