A tight east/west surface pressure gradient resulted in high wind gusts across 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 east/west surface pressure gradient resulted in high wind gusts across 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 Mar 12, 2:41 AM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
241 AM MST Sat Mar 12 2022
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Sunday...
Much warmer temperatures in store this weekend as strong
downslope flow takes over. A flat upper ridge will slide into the
forecast area from the west today. The ridge will be dirty with
mid to high level clouds around. Some weak returns lingering south
and east of Billings early this morning and will keep low PoPs in
place as ascent remains into early afternoon. Strong downslope
flow should keep quite a bit of the western and central plains
from showers. Speaking of strong downslope flow; 700mb winds
increase to around 65kts this morning over the western foothills.
Will leave wind highlights in place. Farther east; 850mb winds get
to around 40kts, with stronger winds above that. Not sure will be
able to tap into winds above 850mb for the central and eastern
plains and the winds aloft decrease through the afternoon, so will
maintain gusts of 40-50 mph with no highlight. Winds will
decrease quickly from Big Timber to Harlowton and Judith Gap early
this evening, while they hold on a little longer at Livingston.
Sunday will see lowering heights as an upper trough slides across
the area. Shortwave energy within the trough comes through in
pieces so not a focused dynamically driven system. Enough lift for
scattered PoPs as strong downslope decreases. The mountains
should get a steady shot of snow starting late morning. A surface
low slides through central zones and pulls a cold front down in a
back door fashion for late afternoon and Sunday night. Highs will
be in the upper 40s to lower 50s and be early in the day, with
steady or slowly falling temperatures in the late afternoon.
Precipitation will start out as rain, but will mix with some snow
late in the afternoon over northern zones. TWH
Sunday night through Friday...
A weak upper air disturbance will bring a chance of mountain and
foothill snow showers and lower elevation rain and snow showers
mainly south of Livingston-Billings-Broadus Sunday evening. This
disturbance will move southeastward out of the region and an upper
ridge will build in late Sunday night, with ridging dominating
our weather with dry conditions through Tuesday morning. High
temperatures on Monday will be in the 40s and 50s.
Models also produce the ingredients for strong winds gusting to
55 mph in the Livingston-Nye corridor Monday night into Tuesday
morning with a strengthening sea-level pressure gradient south of
the corridor and appreciable southwesterly flow in the middle
levels of the atmosphere. The strengthened sea-level pressure
gradient will result from high pressure over western WY and
lowering pressures over Alberta to central MT.
The surface low pressure from Alberta to central MT will
facilitate low-level southwesterly flow over our area on Tuesday.
This flow will downslope the terrain and produce compressional
warming, with high temperatures on Tuesday rising to the 50s over
most of the area, and lower 60s expected southeast of Billings.
An upper air trough will move eastward over the region Tuesday
night through Wednesday, which will bring rain and snow showers to
the lower elevations and snow showers to the mountains. This
system will also bring a cold front across the area Tuesday night,
causing high temperatures Wednesday to be in the 40s and 50s.
Weak upper ridging will move back over the region Thursday into
Friday, with mainly dry conditions. Isolated snow showers are
possible in the Beartooth/Absaroka Mountains Friday as another
weak shortwave trough approaches the region. High temperatures
will generally be in the 40s and 50s Thursday and Friday, with
Friday being the slightly warmer day. RMS
&&
.AVIATION...
Main impact to aviation over the next 18 hours is wind. Look for
strong winds along the western foothills, with gusts of 55+ knots
at Livingston. Strong southwest to west winds of 45-50 knots can
be expected at Big Timber and Harlowton. Gusts to 40 knots are
forecast across the lower elevations by late morning. Otherwise,
mountains will be occasionally obscured in light snow and rain
showers. Expect VFR conditions under scattered to broken mid to
high clouds for the area. TWH
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 054 033/052 029/053 035/059 037/050 030/052 033/054
1/N 03/R 10/B 01/E 42/O 00/U 11/B
LVM 053 034/047 029/049 035/053 032/043 026/047 029/049
1/N 07/O 10/N 05/R 53/S 00/B 11/N
HDN 055 028/053 026/054 030/059 035/051 029/053 029/054
2/S 03/R 10/B 01/E 42/O 00/U 01/B
MLS 053 025/048 026/052 030/059 037/051 029/052 031/053
1/N 03/R 10/B 01/E 21/N 00/U 00/B
4BQ 054 025/052 028/051 029/061 036/050 029/050 029/052
2/O 02/R 10/B 00/B 41/N 00/U 00/B
BHK 048 022/047 023/048 030/057 034/047 026/048 027/051
0/N 02/R 10/B 00/B 11/N 00/U 00/B
SHR 055 028/053 025/050 028/061 032/046 025/047 026/051
2/O 03/R 20/U 01/B 64/O 10/U 11/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Warning in effect until 8 PM MST this evening FOR
ZONES 34-42-63-141-172-228.
Wind Advisory in effect until midnight MST tonight FOR ZONES
65-66.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsHazardous Weather Outlook National Weather Service Billings MT 250 AM MST Sat Mar 12 2022 MTZ029>033-036-037-057-058-138-169-170-173-235-131100- Musselshell-Treasure-Northern Rosebud-Custer-Fallon-Powder River- Carter-Northern Big Horn-Southern Rosebud-Southern Big Horn- Bighorn Canyon-Northern Carbon-Northeastern Yellowstone- Southwestern Yellowstone- 250 AM MST Sat Mar 12 2022 This Hazardous Weather Outlook is for portions of central Montana...south central Montana and southeast Montana. * WHAT...Strong Winds. * WHERE...Parts of south central and southeast Montana. * WHEN...Today. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...West wind gusts of 40 to 50 mph can be expected by late morning and continue into the afternoon. * ADDITIONAL HAZARD CONCERNS...Travel could be difficult and unsecured objects easily blown around. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... Be sure to stay tuned for further updates on this potential hazardous weather. Additional graphics can be found at: https://www.weather.gov/billings &&
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1035 PM MST FRI MAR 11 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0312 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/11/2022 M52.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
0645 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 9 SE BIG TIMBER 45.74N 109.83W
03/11/2022 M52.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT MESONET
0735 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW BIG TIMBER 45.81N 109.98W
03/11/2022 M59.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT ASOS
0935 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 13 SSW GREYCLIFF 45.58N 109.85W
03/11/2022 M59.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT MESONET
0937 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
03/11/2022 M57.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
0949 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
03/11/2022 M61.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
&&
RMSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1110 PM MST FRI MAR 11 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0937 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
03/11/2022 M58.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
1018 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
03/11/2022 M61.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1157 PM MST FRI MAR 11 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1112 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/11/2022 M53.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1118 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
03/11/2022 M53.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
129 AM MST SAT MAR 12 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1212 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/12/2022 M60.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
1218 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 S FORT SMITH 45.07N 107.89W
03/12/2022 M53.00 MPH BIG HORN MT MESONET
1235 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 2 SSW BIG TIMBER 45.81N 109.98W
03/12/2022 M56.00 MPH SWEET GRASS MT ASOS
&&
RMSPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
334 AM MST SAT MAR 12 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0204 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 6 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.70N 110.45W
03/12/2022 M69.00 MPH PARK MT ASOS
0228 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ENE LIVINGSTON 45.69N 110.50W
03/12/2022 M55.00 MPH PARK MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
&&
TWHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
359 AM MST SAT MAR 12 2022
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0312 AM NON-TSTM WND GST 17 NE WILSALL 46.16N 110.38W
03/12/2022 M66.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
&&
RMSThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted as high as 66 mph across the area.
Winds gusted to 63 mph across the Big Timber area.
Winds gusted to 59 mph across the Molt and Rapelje areas.
Winds gusted to 63 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, March 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: 1007592, 1007594, 1007567, 1007593.