Tight surface pressure gradients, combined with a strong jet stream aloft, produced high winds across the Billings Forecast Area.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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.
Tight surface pressure gradients, combined with a strong jet stream aloft, produced high winds across 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 Apr 4, 2:35 PM MST, 3 hours 25 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
335 PM MDT Mon Apr 4 2022
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Wednesday Night...
No big changes from the previous forecast. Anomalously strong
upper low will move across the MT/Canadian border tonight with
vorticity and a cold front moving through the region. The 160+ kt
Pacific jet was bringing upper divergence to the area this
afternoon with lots of clouds and a few sprinkles. The divergence
continues into tonight. Expecting rain over most of the area this
evening, with support for isolated thunderstorms Rosebud County W
due to good lapse rates and some bulk shear. Rain will change to
snow from W to E overnight.
Ensemble Situational Awareness Tables showed higher 700 mb winds
of 50-60 kt and 850 mb winds around 50 kt central and W
tonight...spreading E on Tuesday. These strong winds shift S Tue.
night and will be over Sheridan County on Wednesday. Good mixing
indicated on the ECMWF Ensemble soundings will bring very strong
and prolonged winds to the surface. The SOT from the ECMWF
Ensemble was 1 over most of the area for sustained winds with an
EFI of .9. The SOT was 1 to 2 for southern areas into Sheridan
County on Wednesday with .9 or higher EFI. For wind gusts, the
higher values were best over western areas Tue. and over central,
NW and southern areas Wednesday. EC Ensemble Meteograms have
continued a slightly higher trend for wind gusts Tue. and Tue.
night.
Continued the High Wind Warnings with the late Tue. night through
Wed. evening High Wind Watch for eastern areas. Not much precip.
expected Tue., but wrap-around snow will occur over the E around
the low which will be E of the area Tue. night into Wed. night.
Kept areas of blowing snow with the falling snow through the
forecast period due to the strong winds. Wind gusts of 60-70 mph
are expected with higher gusts in the mountains and foothills.
This event will be reminiscent of Jan. 13th of last year. Highest
QPF amounts will be in the mountains with .2-.3 inches possible in
the far E. Snow amounts of 1-3 inches are possible in the far E
with around an inch or less elsewhere. The High Wind Watch late in
the period for the E may be updated eventually to a Warning or a
winter-weather product. Secure loose objects before the wind
arrives. Arthur
Thursday through Monday...
Strong upper level ridging builds over the Northern Rockies for
Thursday and Friday, resulting in a return of dry and warm conditions.
The current forecast is for highs climbing back into the lower 70s
in many locations for Friday, but some ensemble members indicate
some locations could approach 80 degrees.
A Cold front is progged to push through the area Saturday
afternoon or evening, bringing another round of showers, cooler
temps, and increasing winds. Frontal timing will greatly impact
high temps for Saturday, and there is some uncertainty there. Most
recent timing indicates highs into the 50s and 60s, but a slightly
later passage would allow for highs into the 70s, and improved potential
for thunderstorms. Regardless, Saturday should be cooler than
Friday.
Cooler and unsettled weather is expected to persist into early
next week following the FROPA, as an upper level trough crosses
the region. There is significant uncertainty with the passage of
this system, but consensus of the cluster analysis favors
generally cooler temps, and a chance for precip across the region.
Just how cool, and how much precip remain uncertain. Gilstad
&&
.AVIATION...
A strong disturbance moving into the region will bring increasing
winds and clouds to the area today.
Westerly winds will increase along the western foothills ahead of
a strong cold front today. The cold front is expected to move
through the area late this afternoon and evening, spreading gusty
northwesterly winds along with rain and snow showers to the south
and east. A few thunderstorms are possible as well. MVFR to IFR
conditions are possible with strongest shower/thunderstorm
activity. Mountains will be obscured at times from this afternoon
through tonight. The strong northwest winds will continue on
Tuesday, where widespread wind gusts to 50 kts or higher are
possible. GILSTAD/STP
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 034/048 033/049 029/056 032/071 046/065 034/047 029/040
71/N 01/N 10/U 00/U 13/W 44/W 45/J
LVM 028/042 027/045 024/057 034/069 041/058 029/044 024/037
93/S 11/N 00/U 00/U 24/W 55/J 55/J
HDN 031/048 032/048 027/054 027/071 040/065 032/050 027/041
81/N 13/O 10/U 00/U 12/W 44/W 45/J
MLS 034/048 032/043 029/048 026/062 039/063 033/049 028/043
52/O 57/O 10/B 00/U 11/B 23/W 34/J
4BQ 034/046 032/040 029/046 024/062 038/065 034/049 029/042
71/N 37/O 21/N 00/U 01/B 23/W 44/J
BHK 033/045 028/040 026/043 021/054 034/062 030/048 026/041
43/S 67/O 20/N 00/U 01/B 22/W 34/J
SHR 029/045 027/043 027/049 026/066 038/067 030/049 024/040
92/S 15/S 20/U 00/U 02/W 44/W 55/J
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Warning in effect from midnight tonight to midnight
MDT Tuesday night FOR ZONES
29-34-42-56-66-138-139-169-170-173-235.
High Wind Warning in effect from 6 AM Tuesday to midnight MDT
Tuesday night FOR ZONES 30-31-57-58-171.
High Wind Watch in effect from late Tuesday night through
Wednesday evening FOR ZONES 31>33-36-37-58-138.
High Wind Warning in effect from 10 AM Tuesday to midnight
MDT Tuesday night FOR ZONES 32-33-36-37.
High Wind Warning in effect until midnight MDT Tuesday night
FOR ZONES 40-63>65-67-68-141-172-228.
WY...High Wind Warning in effect from 6 AM Tuesday to midnight MDT
Tuesday night FOR ZONES 198-199.
High Wind Watch in effect from late Tuesday night through
Wednesday evening FOR ZONE 199.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
127 PM MDT MON APR 04 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 WSW LIVINGSTON 45.65N 110.60W
04/04/2022 M55.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
1014 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 WSW NYE 45.41N 109.87W
04/04/2022 M53.00 MPH STILLWATER MT MESONET
1055 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
04/04/2022 M57.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
1112 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
04/04/2022 M55.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1128 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
04/04/2022 M54.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
1218 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
04/04/2022 M55.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
&&
ARTHURThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
15 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted to 59 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 67 mph across the area.
Winds gusted up to 61 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 60 mph across the area.
Winds gusted up to 60 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 66 mph across the area.
Winds gusted up to 63 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 63 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 63 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 62 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 58 mph across the area.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2022
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: 1015029, 1015031, 1014995, 1015030, 1014997, 1014996, 1014998, 1015560, 1014993, 1014999, 1014973, 1014986, 1014994, 1014984, 1015562.