A strong jet stream, combined with tight west/east surface pressure gradients, resulted in high wind gusts across portions of the Billings Forecast 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.
A strong jet stream, combined with tight west/east surface pressure gradients, resulted in high wind gusts across portions of the Billings Forecast 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 Jan 5, 8:23 PM MST, 5 hours 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
823 PM MST Sun Jan 5 2020
.UPDATE...
Minor update to adjust for current winds and temperatures across
the area. Specifically increasing wind trends in the western
foothills, and temperatures falling close to forecast lows already
in the Bighorn foothills. Otherwise forecast is in good shape. No
changes to current High Wind Warnings and Advisories. Chambers
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Tonight through Tuesday night...
We are anticipating increasing wind in the foothills and nearby
areas tonight as the surface pressure gradient strengthens in
south central Montana. It appears that Big Timber will have the
strongest winds first due to strong NW winds at 700 mb and a
favorably oriented pressure gradient. Winds will also increase in
the Livingston-Nye and Harlowton areas as the pressure gradient
increases near those areas as well. Then on Monday, a shortwave
trough will cross the area with large-scale subsidence behind the
trough axis by afternoon. The subsidence should help force strong
winds close to the surface, especially over southern Wheatland
and northern Sweet Grass Counties. The strong winds should
dissipate for the southern Wheatland- northern Sweet Grass area
Monday evening. However, for Livingston-Nye, the strong winds
will continue into Tuesday morning with a favorable pressure
gradient persists. We have issued a wind advisory for the
Livingston and Nye areas, and a high wind warning for Big timber
to Harlowton.
In the meantime, we need to address a cold air mass back dooring
into east central Montana late Monday. Models want to hang a
stationary front across Rosebud County to southern Carter
County. As moisture and and weak impulses move across this surface
boundary, a band of snow will likely develop Monday night we
expect to see some snow generated, and may fluctuate from
eastern Musselshell-Yellowstone to Rosebud-Powder River Counties
northeastward to Custer-Fallon Counties. At this time it still
appears that this band of snow will be northeast of Billings, but
there is a slight chance it could push further west into the city
by Tuesday morning. At any rate, accumulations of only an inch or
two are expected before the snow band weakens and drifts north
late Tuesday.
Southwest of the band of snow, temperatures will be higher with
little to no precipitation. Will have to watch the placement of
the band of snow as a difference of only 20 to 30 miles could be
the difference between a few inches of snow and no accumulation.
High temperatures today and Monday will generally be in the 30s
and 40s. Low temperatures will generally be in the 10s and 20s
tonight and 10s (Fallon County), 20s and lower 30s Monday night.
BT
Wednesday through Sunday...
An unsettled pattern is expected through the extended forecast
period. Temps will continue to be warm on Wednesday, ahead of the
approaching cold front, with highs in 40s in most locations. A
shortwave will bring Pacific moisture across the region Wednesday.
Expected to see mountain snow, and decreasing precip potential as
move down foothills into lower elevations.
A backdoor front will drop into the region Wednesday night and
into Thursday morning, and should bring a chance for some snow
through Thursday night. At this time, this system is not
indicating any heavy snow, or significant impacts. Temps are,
however, expected to fall throughout the day Thursday, with
afternoon temps in the teens and 20s, and possible single digit
lows Thursday night.
A brief warmup is progged for Friday into Saturday, with downslope
flow under upper level ridging. Temps will remain cooler Friday,
after cold morning, but climb back to mid 30s to near 40 for
Saturday. Meanwhile, strong and gusty winds will again develop
around Livingston and Nye. Advisory strength gusts around 60 mph
are possible.
This shallow ridging will precede a more amplified arctic cold
front that looks to really drop us into the deep freeze to begin
next week. The main surge of arctic air is progged to arrive
Saturday night, and is expected to be the coldest air of the
winter thus far. There should also be a good shot at getting snow
with the arctic front Saturday night, as well as following the
FROPA with overrunning through the day Sunday.
Long range signals indicate upstream development of ridging over
the North Pacific, pointing to potential for a longer stretch of
cold weather. If that weren't enough good news, we would also get
a break from the wind. Stay Tuned.
Gilstad
&&
.AVIATION...
Expect winds to be increasing around 12Z tomorrow, with west
winds gusting to 30 to 40 kts during the day. The strongest winds
will be along the foothills around KLVM where gusts will be 50 to
55 kts. Expect VFR flight conditions to prevail, outside of the
higher elevations where mountains obscurations will occur with
snow showers. Reimer
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 028/043 031/044 030/045 024/028 009/025 022/036 006/016
01/N 42/S 12/W 23/S 41/B 12/J 33/J
LVM 025/038 032/045 032/042 025/032 011/026 023/036 008/019
12/O 32/O 13/W 23/S 31/N 22/J 33/J
HDN 021/042 027/043 026/045 022/027 007/025 017/036 004/017
01/N 42/S 12/W 23/S 41/B 12/J 33/J
MLS 025/039 023/033 024/040 018/023 003/020 014/032 901/014
01/N 74/S 22/W 12/S 21/B 11/E 22/J
4BQ 023/037 023/038 023/041 020/027 005/021 015/034 003/016
01/N 42/S 12/W 23/S 21/B 11/E 23/J
BHK 023/036 019/029 018/033 016/021 001/016 010/028 901/012
01/N 42/S 22/J 12/S 21/B 01/E 12/J
SHR 017/037 023/043 025/044 020/033 006/026 014/037 004/019
01/N 21/B 12/W 34/S 41/B 11/E 23/J
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Wind Advisory in effect until 11 AM MST Tuesday FOR ZONES
65-66.
High Wind Warning in effect until 8 PM MST Monday FOR ZONES
141-172-228.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted between 58 mph and 74 mph.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
Winds gusted around 60 mph across the area.
Winds briefly gusted to 58 mph across the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2020
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: 866918, 866917, 866916, 866920.