A tight west/east surface pressure gradient resulted in high wind gusts across some areas of the western portions of the Billings Forecast Area.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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 tight west/east surface pressure gradient resulted in high wind gusts across some areas of the western portions of 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 Feb 7, 2:25 AM MST, 7 hours 35 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
225 AM MST Mon Feb 7 2022
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Tuesday...
Ridging in place today. This ridge will get flattened down this
afternoon as a shortwave moves from southern British Columbia this
morning, to eastern Montana tonight. This process will cause
compressional warming as low and mid level wind speeds increase.
Highs today will be well into the 50s, with low 60s not out of the
question. Winds will increase through the day too with some
decent mixing potential for a brief period in the afternoon. Gusts
of 30-40 mph over the central and eastern plains look likely this
afternoon and very early evening. The winds will be stronger than
that over the western foothills, with peaks reaching 60-70 mph.
Current wind highlights look in good shape. Compressional warming
will cause dewpoints to stay low today and this will prompt
humidities falling to the upper teens and lower 20s. Given mild
temperatures (+15 from seasonal averages), wind gusts over 30 mph
and humidity falling to around 20 percent, decided to issue a
Rangeland Fire Danger statement for most of the area today.
Winds stay up tonight and this will provide a very mild February
night. The surface pressure gradient stays up for a continuation
of the high winds through the Paradise Valley. Winds should weaken
enough from Big Timber to Harlowton to drop out of Warning
criteria there around midnight. Low to mid level winds decrease
through the day Tuesday, with some gusts to 30 mph lingering over
the far eastern counties (Carter and Fallon). High temperatures
will remain quite mild, but with less mixing potential, should be
a few degrees cooler. TWH
Tuesday night through Monday...
Warm, dry, and breezy conditions defines the second half of the
week into next week, with high confidence of this being the case.
A couple weak shortwaves will disrupt the ridge axis centered over
the Pacific Northwest that passes through late Wednesday
and again on Friday, but that's it. The first wave will bring a
shot of light rain/snow showers to SE montana, while the second
wave will bring a shot of rain/snow showers more to south-central
Montana and its foothills. Impacts from this possible
precipitation (which will likely occur more as rain than anything
else) seem minimal at this time.
The main story is anomalously high temperatures throughout the
week, with most days seeing temperatures get above at least 40
degF. Thursday will easily be the warmest day with downslope
warming, pre- frontal conditions and mixing, and signs of little
to no cloud cover, which brings a chance to see record breaking
highs... so temperatures reaching the mid to upper 60s, possibly
breaking into the 70s. Confidence is extremely high for above
normal temperatures in the 50s and low 60s, but is lower for the
more record-breaking potentials, as cloud cover could inhibit
these temperatures if it exist throughout the day. The mixing
potential and downsloping will also bring about low humidities,
and with the recent dry conditions, this does switch our focus to
being on potential fire weather concerns.
Expect breezy conditions across all areas, with extra emphasis and
confidence on seeing higher winds on Thursday and Friday. Vertz
&&
.AVIATION...
Strong west to southwest winds are expected today with gusts to
60kts at Livingston and 50kts from Big Timber to Harlowton. Wind
gusts of 25-35kts will develop over the central and eastern plain
by late morning too. Gusty winds will continue tonight. Otherwise,
VFR flying weather is forecast. TWH
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 059 034/052 033/051 035/059 034/047 026/053 030/055
0/N 00/N 01/E 00/N 12/S 10/U 00/U
LVM 055 030/046 031/045 032/052 031/043 024/048 026/050
0/N 00/N 11/N 00/N 02/S 10/U 00/N
HDN 060 032/052 030/050 031/059 032/046 023/052 026/057
0/N 00/B 12/O 00/N 12/O 11/B 00/U
MLS 058 034/048 029/044 031/057 033/041 022/048 027/053
0/N 00/N 01/E 00/N 11/B 10/B 00/U
4BQ 060 034/048 031/043 031/056 034/042 022/048 029/054
0/N 00/N 03/O 20/N 12/O 11/B 00/U
BHK 055 030/043 026/038 028/051 029/036 017/043 025/050
0/N 00/N 03/S 21/N 11/N 10/B 00/U
SHR 062 032/049 027/045 029/057 030/042 021/049 026/055
0/U 00/N 12/O 10/B 12/S 11/U 00/U
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Warning in effect from 9 AM this morning to
midnight MST tonight FOR ZONES 63-141-172-228.
Wind Advisory in effect until 5 AM MST Tuesday FOR ZONES
65-66.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
420 AM MST MON FEB 07 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0255 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW BIG TIMBER 45.81N 109.98W
02/07/2022 M52.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT ASOS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
603 AM MST MON FEB 07 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0426 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
02/07/2022 M51.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
0535 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW BIG TIMBER 45.81N 109.98W
02/07/2022 M58.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT ASOS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
604 AM MST MON FEB 07 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0518 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
02/07/2022 M53.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
718 AM MST MON FEB 07 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0506 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
02/07/2022 M53.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
STPPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
934 AM MST MON FEB 07 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0807 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
02/07/2022 M62.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
STPThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted 58 to 67 mph from Harlowton to Big Timber.
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, February 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: 1007365, 1003163, 1003165, 1003164.