With strong low pressure toward the northeast, and strong high pressure toward the southwest, the main steering flow for atmospheric winds were directed through western and central Montana. The stronger winds from aloft easily made their way down over the higher elevations of the Little Rocky Mountains in southwest Phillips County.
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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 GGW wrote it up.
With strong low pressure toward the northeast, and strong high pressure toward the southwest, the main steering flow for atmospheric winds were directed through western and central Montana. The stronger winds from aloft easily made their way down over the higher elevations of the Little Rocky Mountains in southwest Phillips County.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 2, 3:35 AM MST, 57 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 335 AM MST Sun Jan 2 2022 .DISCUSSION... The Arctic air mass will continue gradually retreating this morning. Given relatively light winds and steady or rising temperatures for most places, have opted to drop the Wind Chill Advisory for all locations except for Daniels, Sheridan, and Roosevelt Counties. There, conditions will take a little longer to improve. Windy conditions have developed over the higher terrain of the Little Rockies where gusts in excess of 50 mph have occurred early this morning. Data from ensembles is supportive of this trend continuing today, and given 850mb winds, have opted to issue a High Wind Warning for today for SW Phillips County until 5PM. These winds are not expected to mix down further east, especially given snow pack, but, do expect warmer temperatures to materialize later in the day. Upper ridging will continue advancing on the region into Monday, with highs again in the 20s for much of NE Montana. For Monday night into Tuesday, the next cold front will push through the region. Consensus is improving on a period of light snow on Tuesday with eastern locations potentially seeing an inch or two of accumulation. Temperatures will then take a plunge as a new Arctic air mass settles in for the middle of the week. Wednesday night looks to be the coldest for low with many places expected to see 20 to 30 below yet again. && .AVIATION... VFR conditions are expected to prevail. LLWS may continue to be an issue at times this morning. The arctic air mass will retreat today with temperatures less cold across the area by this afternoon. Winds will be west to southwest at 5 to 15 kts. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for Southwest Phillips. Wind Chill Advisory until 10 AM MST this morning for Daniels... Eastern Roosevelt...Sheridan...Western Roosevelt. && weather.gov/glasgow
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
At the BLM Zortman RAWS site (ALDM8), the first 58 mph wind gust was recorded at 4:32 AM, and the peak wind gust of 59 mph was recorded at 6:32 AM.
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, January 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: 998762.