Upper-level ridging persisted across the state on May 19 with mild temperatures and breezy 25 mph SW winds ahead of a cold front from the Pacific moving across the region late that Saturday. A combination of these winds, in junction of 20-25% RH prior to the Spring green-up led to the development of this wildfire.
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 TFX wrote it up.
Upper-level ridging persisted across the state on May 19 with mild temperatures and breezy 25 mph SW winds ahead of a cold front from the Pacific moving across the region late that Saturday. A combination of these winds, in junction of 20-25% RH prior to the Spring green-up led to the development of this wildfire.
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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 19, 10:30 AM MST, 2 hours earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 1130 AM MDT Sat Mar 19 2022 ...Aviation Section Updated... .SYNOPSIS... One more day of warmer temperatures are expected ahead of a quick moving cold front that moves into the area on Sunday morning. Cooler temperatures and a chance of precipitation will come as a result of the cold front, especially along the Southwest region, where several inches of snow is expected. Temperatures rebound quickly though, as the remainder of the outlook period will be much warmer and drier. && .DISCUSSION... Upper level ridging extending well north into Canada will begin to subside eastward as an upper level trough moving inland from the Pacific makes way into the region by Sunday. Leading the charge is a west to east moving cold front from the Pacific, which moves across the region late Saturday night into Sunday morning. Showers will escort the cold front, with much of the precipitation making its way into the Southwest region, specifically along and south of I-90 and east of I-15. Latest NBM v4.1 probabilistic guidance suggests locations east of Dillon and south of Bozeman have a greater than 70% probability of receiving 2" snow accumulation through Sunday night while mountainous regions/passes between US-287 and US-191 have a greater than 80% probability of seeing snowfall in excess of 6", with localized higher accumulations possible. However, although the quantity of precipitation is available (current QPF values range from about 0.20" to 0.45"), it is important to note that road surfaces will be warm and with the addition of the high sun angle, snow accumulations may be restricted to grassy areas and areas of slightly higher elevation. Nevertheless, impacts to travel are still noteworthy and of concern as slushy roads from melting snowfall could lead to slippery road conditions, especially along overpasses and bridges. Thus, a Winter Weather Advisory for Madison and Gallatin counties was issued, set to begin at 6z Sunday (Midnight Saturday) and last through 0z Monday (6 PM Sunday). High temperatures for Sunday are expected to range within the mid to upper 30s for much of Southwest Montana, whereas elsewhere, temperatures range in the low to mid 40s - a bit of a decrease in comparison to what has been experienced the last few days across the CWA. It will be short-lived though, as an elongated upper level ridge extending well into Canada develops along the western CONUS by midweek, bringing a significant warming trend across the region. Wednesday appears to be the warmest day of not only the outlook period, but also of the year so far for many locations. Uncertainty remains in regards to the position and amplitude of the ridge, but latest probabilistic ensembles reinforce that high temperatures midweek would surpass current deterministic forecasts, especially on Wednesday. This suggests daily temperature records may be met, if not broken, as many locations are on the cusp of 70 degrees. The entirety of the week, though, will have most locations in the 50s and 60s and remain dry. By early Thursday, the upper level ridging begins to flatten into a more zonal pattern aloft. At this time, uncertainty remains on how impactful this will be to the following week's temperatures. - Pierce && .AVIATION... 1130 AM MDT Sat Mar 19 2022 (19/18Z TAF period) VFR conditions prevail through daylight hours today and early tonight. A front passing through the region will bring a wind shift to a more westerly direction tonight. The front will also bring a mix of rain and snow to Southwest Montana tonight into tomorrow morning, reducing vis/cigs. Confidence is lower, but reduction of vis/cigs across Central Montana will be possible late tonight into tomorrow morning, associated with light precipitation. Further north across North-central Montana, VFR conditions are expected to prevail this TAF period. Mountains are likely to be obscured starting tonight in Southwest and Central Montana. -AM Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation weather and hazard information. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 33 45 25 48 / 20 10 0 0 CTB 30 41 25 45 / 10 0 0 0 HLN 32 42 27 47 / 50 10 0 0 BZN 28 39 17 42 / 70 60 0 0 WYS 22 35 4 36 / 80 90 10 10 DLN 27 37 17 42 / 70 40 0 0 HVR 37 46 27 49 / 10 10 0 0 LWT 31 40 22 43 / 10 30 0 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from midnight tonight to 6 PM MDT Sunday Gallatin...Madison. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
1 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A large wildfire of 500 acres broke out near Anderson Road 7 NNE Vaughn in Cascade County due to an unattended burn barrel, requiring several agencies, including six fire departments, the Salvation Army, and local citizens 7.5 hours to contain. No injuries or damage reported.
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: 1015565.