Damaging Winds and High Wind in Montana, May 5 to 6, 2022

Name: Damaging Winds and High Wind in Montana, May 5 to 6, 2022
Start: 2022-05-05T17:53
End: 2022-05-06T19:05
Location: Montana

May 5 to 6, 2022 · NWS TFX · 16 events in 8 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 16

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

A Pacific weather system and its associated cold front brought a round of strong winds to the Rocky Mountain Front, the Plains, and portions of Southwest Montana. Shower and thunderstorm development occurred along and ahead of the front and produced localized severe weather. A strong pressure gradient due to lee side troughing over the Canadian Prairies also contributed to strong non-convective wind gusts.

What forecasters said that day

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 May 5, 4:20 PM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 5, 4:20 PM MST, 1 hour 33 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
520 PM MDT Thu May 5 2022

UPDATED AVIATION SECTION

.SYNOPSIS...
Showers and thunderstorms will move through the region tonight,
as a Pacific cold front moves through the area. A few storms could
produce gusty winds and small hail. It will be a bit cooler on
Friday, but strong winds are also expected over North Central MT.
Over the weekend and into early next week, expect a chance for
rain or snow showers along with below normal temperatures.

&&

.DISCUSSION...
Tonight through Friday...A Pacific cold front will move from west
to east across the region tonight. Showers and thunderstorms will
accompany the frontal passage. There is enough instability that
some of the stronger storms could produce some strong wind gusts
or small hail. On Friday, strong winds are expected over much of
North Central MT. There is a 90% chance of wind gusts reaching
warning criteria in the Cut Bank area. As you go east/south of Cut
Bank the probability is less for a warning wind gust, but still
close enough for much of North Central MT to be included in a
high wind warning. Temperatures will be cooler on Friday as well.
Additionally, with grasses greening up, no fire weather highlights
will be issued at this time, but elevated fire conditions are
likely, especially in grassy areas north of Highway 2.

Saturday through Thursday...A large upper level trof of low
pressure will reside over the region from this weekend into early
next week. This will result in unsettled spring like conditions,
along with below normal temperatures across the entire region
during this period. At this time, heavy precipitation is not
expected, but with several rounds of rain/snow showers
liquid accumulation amounts will start to approach a half inch in
the mountains of Southwest MT from Saturday into early next week.
Snow accumulations of 1 to 3 inches are possible on the passes,
but no winter weather highlights are expected at this time.
Brusda

&&

.AVIATION...
520 PM MDT Thu May 5 2022 (06/00Z TAF period)

VFR conditions are mostly expected through at least the next 24
hours, but scattered thunderstorms developing along a cold frontal
passage may bring brief periods of MVFR conditions as it moves east
through 06Z. The greater threat will be erratic wind gusts of mostly
up to 50 mph and occasional lightning strikes.

Winds will shift more westerly in the wake of the cold front and
increase through around 16Z, shifting the threats more so to
mountain wave turbulence and low level wind shear through the day on
Friday. Wind gusts may exceed 50 kt at times over the plains.
Otherwise, areas of mid- and high-level cloudiness will move over
the region with a chance of afternoon showers over the mountains.
-Coulston

Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation
weather and hazard information.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF  45  66  41  57 /  30  10  60  30
CTB  43  60  38  55 /  40   0  40  30
HLN  46  68  42  58 /  40  20  80  60
BZN  42  67  40  56 /  30  20  70  80
WYS  34  56  33  49 /  60  50  80  80
DLN  39  64  39  54 /  20  10  70  70
HVR  49  69  43  60 /  40   0  30  30
LWT  44  65  40  56 /  20  20  40  50

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
High Wind Warning from midnight tonight to 6 PM MDT Friday
Cascade...Eastern Glacier...Eastern Pondera...Eastern Teton...
Liberty...Northern Rocky Mountain Front...Southern Rocky
Mountain Front...Toole.

High Wind Warning from 6 AM to 6 PM MDT Friday Blaine...
Chouteau...Hill.

&&

http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls

In the hours before

Local storm report, May 5, 5:37 PM MST, 16 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
637 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0539 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 17 SW SIMMS             47.29N 112.15W
05/05/2022  M45 MPH          LEWIS AND CLARK    MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTBOW BOWMANS (MT DOT).

&&

SAC

Local storm report, May 5, 5:38 PM MST, 15 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
638 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0355 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 5 NNE CAMERON           45.27N 111.65W
05/05/2022  M48 MPH          MADISON            MT   AWOS

            AWOS STATION KEKS ENNIS BIG SKY AWOS.

&&

SAC

Local storm report, May 5, 5:39 PM MST, 14 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
639 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0621 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 6 NNW SUNBURST          48.96N 111.94W
05/05/2022  M53 MPH          TOOLE              MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTSWT SWEETGRASS (MT DOT).

&&

SAC

Local storm report, May 5, 5:41 PM MST, 12 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
641 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0445 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST 3 NE DILLON             45.25N 112.59W
05/05/2022  M47 MPH          BEAVERHEAD         MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION MTM70 3.0 NE DILLON
            (MT-MESO).

&&

SAC

Local storm report, May 5, 5:42 PM MST, 11 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
642 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0635 PM     NON-TSTM WND GST GALATA                  48.48N 111.35W
05/05/2022  M48 MPH          TOOLE              MT   MESONET

            MESONET STATION DW9605 GALATA.

&&

SAC

Local storm report, May 5, 5:50 PM MST, 3 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
650 PM MDT THU MAY 5 2022

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0558 PM     TSTM WND GST     6 NNE FAIRFIELD         47.70N 111.94W
05/05/2022  M49 MPH          TETON              MT   PUBLIC

            AWOS STATION K1HM HOTEL.

&&

SAC

The radar

The Great Falls radar (KTFX), 28 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 02:13 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

10 high wind, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Beaverhead

When: May 5, 5:53 PM MST
Where: Beaverhead forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KDLN measured a 50 kt (58 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Liberty

When: May 5, 6:37 PM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Chester station FW9939 measured a non-thunderstorm wind gust of 60 kt (69 mph).

Thunderstorm Wind, Cascade

When: May 5, 7:15 PM MST
Where: Cascade County, 4 mi E of Cascade
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.270, -111.635

Cascade MDA MTM76 measured a 56 kt (64 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cascade

When: May 5, 7:19 PM MST
Where: Cascade County, 8 mi SSE of Ulm
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: AWOS
Coordinates: 47.323, -111.455

K1IM measured a 52 kt (60 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cascade

When: May 5, 7:28 PM MST
Where: Cascade County, 5 mi WSW of Great Falls
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Official NWS Observations
Coordinates: 47.492, -111.399

KTFX measured a 51 kt (59 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cascade

When: May 5, 7:30 PM MST
Where: Cascade County, 10 mi WSW of Stockett
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.295, -111.367

Stockett station FW1843 measured a 56 kt (65 mph) thunderstorm gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cascade

When: May 5, 7:39 PM MST
Where: Cascade County, 6 mi W of Sandcoulee
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: NWS Employee
Coordinates: 47.400, -111.298

Ambient weather station measured a 53 kt (61 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chouteau

When: May 5, 8:14 PM MST
Where: Chouteau County, Ft Benton
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: COOP Observer
Coordinates: 47.820, -110.670

Fort Benton Co-op observer measured a 54 kt (62 mph) thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Chouteau

When: May 5, 8:45 PM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Big Sandy station MTM90 measured a 58 kt (67 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: May 6, 1:45 AM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 54 kt (62 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Dellwo station measured a 54 kt (62 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Chouteau

When: May 6, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Chouteau forecast zone
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Station at 10 S Loma (MTM02) measured a 51 kt (59 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier

When: May 6, 11:34 AM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Measured: 59 kt (68 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

KCTB measured a 59 kt (68 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Liberty

When: May 6, 1:15 PM MST
Where: Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Chester station measured a 52 kt (60 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Eastern Pondera

When: May 6, 1:30 PM MST
Where: Eastern Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS

ARC-WTRI Conrad station (6 NW Ledger) measured a 58 kt (67 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Toole

When: May 6, 3:00 PM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Oilmont station measured a 53 kt (61 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

High Wind, Beaverhead

When: May 6, 7:05 PM MST
Where: Beaverhead forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet

Harkness station measured a 50 kt (58 mph) non-thunderstorm wind gust.

What these are

High Wind: Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2022 Every state in 2022 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, May 2022

Sources

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: 1029806, 1029777, 1029780, 1029782, 1029788, 1029779, 1029793, 1029794, 1029778, 1029683, 1029699, 1029681, 1029695, 1029682, 1029694, 1029706.