Montana, 2020

High Wind in Montana, November 27, 2020

November 27, 2020 · NWS BYZ · 2 events in 1 county or zone

A tight west-east surface pressure gradient across the western portions of the Billings Forecast Area resulted in some high wind gusts.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
2

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 BYZ wrote it up.

A tight west-east surface pressure gradient across the western portions of the Billings Forecast Area resulted in some high wind gusts.

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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 26, 3:00 PM MST, 10 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 26, 3:00 PM MST, 10 hours 25 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 26, 3:53 PM MST, 9 hours 32 minutes before
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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern Sweet Grass

When
November 27, 1:25 AM MST to 2:50 AM MST
Where
Northern Sweet Grass forecast zone
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
45.814, -109.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds gusted to 60 mph across the area.

High Wind, Northern Sweet Grass

When
November 27, 2:55 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Sweet Grass forecast zone
Measured
58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by
AWOS
Coordinates
45.814, -109.941 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds gusted to 67 mph across the area.

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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, November 2020

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: 923185, 923182.