A strong Pacific front swept across the Billings Forecast Area. Strong subsidence occurred behind the front.
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.
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 Pacific front swept across the Billings Forecast Area. Strong subsidence occurred behind the front. This subsidence, combined with a powerful jet stream, resulted in strong winds mixing to the surface.
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 Mar 29, 1:43 AM MST, 17 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
243 AM MDT Mon Mar 29 2021
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Tuesday night...
Deep upper trough has dropped into Washington and Oregon early
this morning. Mid level winds have increased across the entire
area with several RAWS observations (in the mountains) reporting
gusts in the mid 60s. Surface pressure gradient ahead of an
advancing cold front has tightened along the western foothills
with winds gusting to 71 mph at Livingston. Cold front was lagging
a little behind model projections and has gone trough Butte last
hour. Still expecting cold frontal passage early this morning over
western and central zones and is expected to clear the southeast
corner of the state by 8 am. Surface pressure rises on the order
of 2-3 mb an hour, combined with 850-500 mb lapse rates near 8
c/km and 700mb winds of 60kts, will lead to high winds across the
entire area as the front plows through. Strongest winds over the
western and central zones (including Billings) will be in the
morning to early afternoon hours with a decrease expecting by late
afternoon. All highlights look in good shape and will not change.
Strong downslope flow will limit the precipitation chances behind
the front to a large degree, with the best chance of getting
rain/snow showers staying over the mountains and closest to the
foothills. Will likely see another area of precipitation develop
east of Billings by mid morning (outside of the downslope
influences) and shift east into early afternoon. Cyclonic flow
with embedded waves will lead to isolated and scattered rain/snow
showers tonight into Tuesday. Highs today will be early in the day
(before the front hits), with nearly steady temperatures this
afternoon. Interesting thing is the drop in dewpoints expected
(falling into the single digits) could cause a brief bump in
temperatures this afternoon. Tuesday will be cooler and windy
(although not nearly as windy as today). Wind gusts in the 30 mph
range can be expected over western and central zones, with some
gusts to 40 mph possible over the east. TWH
Wednesday through Sunday...
The extended models continue to insist in a strong ridge building
over the region for the latter part of the work week and into the
weekend. After highs in the 50s on Wednesday, we are anticipating
temperatures warming into the upper 60s and 70s Thursday through
Sunday. Conditions will remain dry through the weekend, with a
chance of some showers possibly working in from the west Sunday
night into Monday. BT
&&
.AVIATION...
Main threat for aviation interests will be strong wind gusts
spreading across the region as a powerful cold front moves
through the area. Southwesterly peak winds 55-65 kts will
continue at KLVM and surrounding areas most of the night with
20-30 kts found over portions of the eastern plains including
KBIL.
The cold front will reach KLVM around 09-10Z tonight, KBIL 11Z,
KMLS/KSHR around 13Z. This front will bring a brief period of
rain/snow and a shift to strong W-NW winds (gusting to 50 knots).
Western mountains will become obscured in snow and lower ceilings
as the front arrives early this morning. A few areas of MVFR are
possible over the lower elevations. VFR should then prevail in
by afternoon as dry air spreads in from the northwest. WInds will
back off late in the day and into the evening. BT
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 046 022/042 027/057 036/070 042/072 042/076 045/073
3/S 21/B 00/U 00/U 00/B 00/B 01/B
LVM 040 020/039 024/053 031/065 040/067 039/070 042/066
6/S 31/N 00/N 00/N 00/U 00/B 12/W
HDN 049 021/042 024/057 031/072 040/074 040/077 043/075
4/O 20/B 00/U 00/U 00/B 00/B 01/B
MLS 047 017/037 020/053 030/071 040/071 039/075 043/072
3/R 00/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B 00/B
4BQ 049 018/037 020/053 031/072 038/073 040/077 044/075
3/O 00/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B 00/B
BHK 048 014/033 013/051 027/070 037/071 038/075 041/074
2/O 00/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B
SHR 047 017/037 017/051 026/069 035/070 037/074 040/071
6/O 21/N 00/U 00/U 00/B 00/B 01/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Warning in effect until 6 PM MDT this evening FOR
ZONES
29>34-36-37-40-42-56>58-63>66-138-139-141-169>173-228-235.
Red Flag Warning in effect until 6 PM MDT this evening FOR
ZONE 133.
WY...High Wind Warning in effect until 6 PM MDT this evening FOR
ZONES 198-199.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1130 PM MDT SUN MAR 28 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1035 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 11 S LIVINGSTON 45.50N 110.57W
03/28/2021 M68.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1040 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
03/28/2021 M66.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
1135 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S ROSCOE 45.34N 109.49W
03/28/2021 M68.00 MPH CARBON MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1159 PM MDT SUN MAR 28 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1104 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 NW BURGESS JUNCTION 44.79N 107.54W
03/28/2021 M62.00 MPH SHERIDAN WY MESONET
1115 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 WSW RED LODGE 45.16N 109.36W
03/28/2021 M62.00 MPH CARBON MT MESONET
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1217 AM MDT MON MAR 29 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1206 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S ROSCOE 45.34N 109.49W
03/29/2021 M57.00 MPH CARBON MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
1229 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
03/29/2021 M66.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1239 AM MDT MON MAR 29 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1204 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 NW BURGESS JUNCTION 44.79N 107.54W
03/29/2021 M62.00 MPH SHERIDAN WY MESONET
1205 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 11 S LIVINGSTON 45.50N 110.57W
03/29/2021 M60.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
0106 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S ROSCOE 45.34N 109.49W
03/29/2021 M60.00 MPH CARBON MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
140 AM MDT MON MAR 29 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1207 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 12 SE EMIGRANT 45.27N 110.54W
03/29/2021 M54.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1212 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/29/2021 M63.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1215 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 WSW RED LODGE 45.16N 109.36W
03/29/2021 M63.00 MPH CARBON MT MESONET
1218 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
03/29/2021 M61.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
1230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 WSW LIVINGSTON 45.65N 110.60W
03/29/2021 M70.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
1235 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 13 SSW GREYCLIFF 45.58N 109.85W
03/29/2021 M64.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT MESONET
1245 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 11 S LIVINGSTON 45.50N 110.57W
03/29/2021 M62.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1253 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
03/29/2021 M59.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
0126 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 1 S ROSCOE 45.34N 109.49W
03/29/2021 M62.00 MPH CARBON MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
148 AM MDT MON MAR 29 2021
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 9 SE MELVILLE 46.00N 109.84W
03/29/2021 M60.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT MESONET
0100 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 WNW GARDINER 45.05N 110.75W
03/29/2021 M61.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
0112 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/29/2021 M70.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
0118 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
03/29/2021 M64.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
0122 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 W FISHTAIL 45.46N 109.57W
03/29/2021 M62.00 MPH STILLWATER MT MESONET
0125 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 11 S LIVINGSTON 45.50N 110.57W
03/29/2021 M63.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
&&
TWHThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted from 72 to 82 mph.
Winds gusted to 71 mph in Banner.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, March 2021
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: 947207, 947208.