High Wind in Montana, November 25 to 26, 2021

Name: High Wind in Montana, November 25 to 26, 2021
Start: 2021-11-25T03:30
End: 2021-11-26T13:46
Location: Montana

November 25 to 26, 2021 · NWS TFX · 11 events in 10 counties and zones

The jet stream began to move over the Northern Rockies, bringing a more consistent westerly flow and lee-side troughing. H700 winds exceeded 50 kts for much of the event, while magnitudes of 60 to 70 kts along the Rocky Mountain Front.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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 TFX wrote it up.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 25, 3:09 AM MST, 21 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 25, 3:09 AM MST, 21 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
309 AM MST Thu Nov 25 2021

.SYNOPSIS...

Mild temperatures will make a return across the region for
Thanksgiving Day. Gusty winds will also return over the plains
Thanksgiving, lasting into Friday. A largely dry extended weekend is
expected, with just some light snow possible over the Continental
Divide and a few areas in Southwest Montana Friday.

&&

.DISCUSSION...

Thanksgiving and Friday... Weak ridging/zonal flow will continue
building in behind an exiting trough. A weak shortwave traversing
the upper-ridge will attempt to produce precipitation downwind of
the Rocky Mountain Front and in the Little/Big Belts this
morning. The lowest part of the atmosphere will be quite dry
however, which makes me favor virga over precipitation reaching
the ground in most areas. A gusty downsloping wind is expected
today, with the strongest winds expected along the Rocky Mountain
Front and the remainder of Glacier County. A High Wind Warning
remains in effect for that region until 5PM MST tonight. Sustained
winds of 35-45 miles per hour, with gusts from 60 to 80 miles per
hour, will be likely in the warning area. It will be possible for
areas of high winds elsewhere across the plains, but confidence
is not high enough to warrant a warning at this time. Winds remain
gusty into Friday, but are not expected to have as great of an
impact at this time, thus no high wind highlights are currently
planned. Given the downsloping nature of winds over this period,
high temperatures are expected to return to above normal levels
across much of the region. Light snow will be possible Friday
along the Continental Divide and a few spots in far Southwest
Montana, but impacts are expected to be minor.

Saturday through next Thursday... A weak upper ridge/zonal flow will
remain this weekend. Temperatures through the middle of next week
are expected to remain above average for this time of the year.
Winds at the surface will relax Saturday, but pick back up Sunday
along the Rocky Mountain Front and into the plains. Thereafter,
ensembles continue to support ridging across the Western US.
Shortwaves traversing through flow aloft will bring intermittent
opportunities for mountain snow and gusty winds along the Rocky
Mountain Front and into the plains next week. -AM

&&

.AVIATION...
1040 PM MST Wed Nov 24 2021 (25/06z TAF period)

VFR conditions are expected across the region over the next 24
hours. Winds will be gusty at times, especially near the Rocky
Mountain Front throughout the TAF period. Low-level wind shear will
be likely at times across the plains, especially in areas near
terrain. Turbulence will also be likely in the vicinity of terrain.
-AM

KWYS TAF will not be issued until airport operations resume next
spring.

Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation
weather and hazard information.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  52  42  54  32 /  10  10   0   0
CTB  50  36  48  25 /  10  10  10   0
HLN  50  35  53  35 /  10   0   0  10
BZN  44  27  51  27 /  10   0   0  10
WYS  29  13  34  12 /   0   0  10  20
DLN  45  27  48  26 /   0   0  10   0
HVR  51  39  54  24 /  10  10   0   0
LWT  53  39  54  30 /   0  10   0  10

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon Eastern
Glacier...Northern Rocky Mountain Front...Southern Rocky
Mountain Front.

&&

http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls

In the hours before

Local storm report, Nov 25, 2:08 AM MST, 1 hour 22 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
208 AM MST THU NOV 25 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0156 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 SW CUT BANK           48.60N 112.37W
11/25/2021  M55 MPH          GLACIER            MT   ASOS

            ASOS STATION KCTB CUT BANK AIRPORT.

&&

Local storm report, Nov 25, 2:09 AM MST, 1 hour 21 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
209 AM MST THU NOV 25 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

1145 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 15 WNW WOLF CREEK       47.09N 112.37W
11/24/2021  M51 MPH          LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTROG ROGERS PASS (MT DOT).

&&

Local storm report, Nov 25, 3:07 AM MST, 23 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
307 AM MST THU NOV 25 2021

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0243 AM     NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SE BROWNING           48.54N 112.98W
11/25/2021  M66 MPH          GLACIER            MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTBWG BROWNING (MT DOT).

&&

Event by event

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: November 25, 3:30 AM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Measured: 69 kt (79 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Dellwo station measured a 69 kt (79 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Fergus

When: November 25, 8:30 AM MST
Where: Fergus forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Coffee Creek station measured a 54 kt (62 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Cascade

When: November 25, 10:30 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KGTF measured a 55 kt (63 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Cascade

When: November 25, 1:41 PM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS

KGFA measured a 54 kt (62 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Blaine

When: November 25, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Blaine forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Chinook station measured a 52 kt (60 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Judith Basin

When: November 25, 3:55 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

MDT Geyser station measured a 58 kt (67 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Chouteau

When: November 25, 4:45 PM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

MDT Loma station measured a 52 kt (60 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: November 25, 5:39 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 66 kt (76 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Department of Highways

MDT Two Medicine Bridge station measured a 66 kt (76 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: November 26, 5:39 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KCTB measured a 63 kt (72 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Toole

When: November 26, 6:45 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Oilmont station measured a 50 kt (58 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Liberty

When: November 26, 1:46 PM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Chester station measured a 53 kt (61 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

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 Montana in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 2021

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: 994346, 994351, 994350, 994352, 994354, 994349, 994355, 994347, 994348, 994356, 994353.