High Wind, Judith Basin
- When
- November 5, 10:36 AM MST
- Where
- Judith Basin forecast zone
- Measured
- 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
- Reported by
- Department of Highways
MDT Geyser station measured a 50 kt (58 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.
High Wind in Montana, November 5, 2021
Strong westerly flow ahead of a Pacific trough combined with a tightening pressure gradient for widespread 40 + mph wind gusts over north-central MT on November 5th, 2021. The 50 kt H700 flow managed to transfer to the surface near Geyser, a location usually favorable for strong downslope winds on the lee side of the Little Belt Mountains.
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- 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 TFX wrote it up.
Strong westerly flow ahead of a Pacific trough combined with a tightening pressure gradient for widespread 40 + mph wind gusts over north-central MT on November 5th, 2021. The 50 kt H700 flow managed to transfer to the surface near Geyser, a location usually favorable for strong downslope winds on the lee side of the Little Belt Mountains.
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 5, 4:07 AM MST, 6 hours 29 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Nov 5, 4:07 AM MST, 6 hours 29 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 507 AM MDT Fri Nov 5 2021 .Update... Cloudiness increases over time and a few areas are still gusting upwards of 30 to 35 mph, but forecast to decrease in the oncoming hours. Temperatures continue to trend cooler, as expected. Forecast conditions are being well handled this morning so no update needed. - Pierce && .SYNOPSIS... Gusty winds can be expected this morning and afternoon, especially across north-central Montana. Passing disturbances in southwest flow aloft this weekend into early next week will bring snow to the Rocky Mountain Front and the West Yellowstone area, while dry and windy conditions are expected along the Plains. Temperatures will gradually cool closer to seasonable averages beginning this weekend into next week. && .DISCUSSION... Today through Sunday... Strong gusty winds developing in the early morning hours will continue and expand across the eastern slopes and plains through late morning and early afternoon in the wake of a passing disturbance and cold front yesterday. Southwesterly flow builds over the region later today and persists through the weekend, resulting in periods of snow for the Northern Rockies as well as far southwest Montana in the West Yellowstone area, while breezy conditions can be expected across the eastern slopes and the plains. Low-level thicknesses gradually decrease over the weekend, resulting in a gradual decreasing trend in temperatures. Snow accumulations and gusty winds should remain below levels that would need highlights. Monday through next Thursday... Southwesterly flow aloft Monday will gradually transition to a strong ridge building just to the west by the end of the week, leaving the mid-week time frame as most likely to be the most unsettled part of the week. Models suggest much of the precipitation remains confined to the mountains and in the form of snow, while any precipitation that moves over lower elevations and the plains would likely encounter mild enough temperatures to be primarily in the form of isolated to scattered rain showers. Temperatures are likely remain near to slightly above normal for much of the period. && .AVIATION... 507 AM MDT Thu Nov 4 2021 (05/12Z TAF period) VFR conditions will predominate, though with occasional periods of low VFR cigs and mtn obscurations for southwest Montana through the remainder of the overnight period. For KWYS, expect MVFR cigs at times through around midday Friday. Gusty winds are expected for much of the early morning through afternoon period Friday across the region, especially the north- central plains. Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation weather and hazard information. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 57 34 56 31 / 0 0 0 10 CTB 50 28 48 27 / 10 10 0 10 HLN 59 36 56 31 / 0 0 10 30 BZN 58 37 58 31 / 0 0 10 40 WYS 43 29 44 29 / 0 0 20 70 DLN 54 37 53 29 / 0 0 10 40 HVR 57 32 55 29 / 10 0 0 10 LWT 57 36 57 30 / 0 0 0 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
In the hours before
Local storm report, Nov 5, 9:02 AM MST, 1 hour 34 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1002 AM MDT FRI NOV 5 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0306 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSE GEYSER 47.25N 110.48W
11/05/2021 M52 MPH JUDITH BASIN MT MESONET
MESONET STATION MTGYS GEYSER (MT DOT).
&&Local storm report, Nov 5, 9:03 AM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1003 AM MDT FRI NOV 5 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0758 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 ESE MALMSTROM AFB 47.50N 111.17W
11/05/2021 M46 MPH CASCADE MT AWOS
AWOS STATION KGFA MALMSTROM AFB.
&&Local storm report, Nov 5, 9:04 AM MST, 1 hour 32 minutes before
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1004 AM MDT FRI NOV 5 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1044 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 15 WNW WOLF CREEK 47.09N 112.37W
11/04/2021 M46 MPH LEWIS AND CLARK MT MESONET
MESONET STATION MTROG ROGERS PASS (MT DOT).
&&Event by event
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
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
- Coastal Flood in South Carolina, November 5 to 8, 2021
- Coastal Flood and High Wind in Florida, November 5 to 7, 2021
- Coastal Flood in North Carolina, November 5 to 8, 2021
- Frost and Freeze in Tennessee, November 5, 2021
- Flash Flood and Flooding in Florida, November 5, 2021
- Coastal Flood and High Surf in Florida, November 5 to 8, 2021
- High Wind in Wyoming, November 5, 2021
- Coastal Flood in Georgia, November 5 to 7, 2021
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, November 5, 2021
- Dense Fog in California, November 5, 2021
- Flood in Florida, November 5, 2021
- Marine Thunderstorm Wind in South Atlantic Coastal Waters, November 5, 2021
More
Every storm in Montana in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings 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: 992507.