Tight surface pressure gradients across the area resulted in some high wind gusts.
Every event with a place to put it; 2 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.
Tight surface pressure gradients across the area resulted in some high wind gusts.
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 3, 3:16 PM MST, 8 hours 59 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
316 PM MST Fri Feb 3 2023
.DISCUSSION...
Through Sunday night...
An upper air shortwave trough will quickly move eastward across
the Northern Rockies tonight into Saturday. This wave will bring
strengthened winds aloft. The strong wind gusts in the
Livingston-Nye corridor likely will continue tonight into Saturday
afternoon as the surface-pressure gradient and mid-level winds
support gusts to 55-65 mph in that area. For the Big Timber area
northward to Judith Gap, the strengthened mid-level winds to near
50 kt likely will translate to 60 mph gusts from Saturday morning
into the afternoon. The Wind Advisory remains in effect, and the
High Wind Watch has been upgraded to a High Wind Warning. These
wind highlights are for the aforementioned western foothills.
Farther east over the lower elevations, models project steep
enough lapse rates and downward motion behind the shortwave trough
axis that there should be gusts to about 40-45 mph over much of
southern Montana on Saturday. Those traveling with a high- profile
vehicle should know their vehicle limits and consider adjusting
their plans to avoid the strong winds. The lower elevations of
Sheridan County, WY look to miss this wind episode. Otherwise,
this shortwave trough looks dry with just an isolated snow shower
possible in the mountains tonight.
Upper ridging will move over the region Saturday night into Sunday
morning bringing a period of dry and tranquil weather for most of
the area. There is a 65% chance of 50+ mph wind gusts in the
Livingston- Nye corridor Saturday night as the surface pressure
gradient will still be favorable for gusty winds in that area, but
weak mid-level winds should keep wind gusts below 60 mph.
Sunday afternoon into Sunday night, an upper air shortwave
trough, this time with moisture, will move across the area and
cause scattered showers mainly over south central MT and north
central WY. The showers will be a rain/snow mix in the lower
elevations and all snow in the mountains. Initially the wind
direction does not look favorable for the Red Lodge area to
receive heavier snow, but this will need to be watched in case
winds become northerly enough to support greater snowfall amounts
there. Overall the precipitation pattern will take an
upslope/downslope pattern, with little to nothing northwest of
Billings.
High temperatures will generally be in the 40s Saturday and Sunday.
Low temperatures will be 20s tonight and Saturday night and 20s
and 30s Sunday night. RMS
Monday through Friday...
Cluster analysis shows the upper trough will be over us Monday.
This trough is basically of the un-organized split flow variety.
So flow generally remains downslope across the plains. The
mountains may see 2-4 inches of snowfall Sunday night through
Monday with light snow in the nearby foothills. NBM has the
Beartooths and Bighorns with widespread >50% chance for 2 inches
and >80% chance in places in the Beartooths. Brisk northwest flow
then prevails behind this system Monday night into Tuesday. A dry
ridge pattern takes over the Rockies and high plains at midweek,
so mild temps and windy/breezy conditions will be the rule. High
temperatures will generally be in the 40s with areas in the east
being down in the 30s some days. Torgerson
&&
.AVIATION...
Strong SW winds will remain the primary threat to aviation the
rest of today and saturday in the western foothills including
KLVM and K6SO. Gusts over 50kts will be felt in these areas.
Otherwise the region will be in VFR conditions the next few days.
Torgerson
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 029/046 026/044 034/046 030/047 031/048 030/041 024/038
00/N 00/E 21/N 00/U 11/B 22/S 10/B
LVM 029/041 027/044 030/038 025/042 025/043 026/036 016/034
00/N 01/E 51/N 00/N 12/S 22/S 10/B
HDN 025/046 019/044 031/045 025/049 026/049 025/041 021/037
00/N 00/E 32/S 00/U 11/B 22/S 11/B
MLS 029/046 022/044 031/044 029/049 031/049 027/043 024/036
00/N 00/B 10/N 00/U 01/B 11/B 10/B
4BQ 027/046 022/044 032/042 027/047 028/048 025/042 024/037
00/N 00/B 11/N 00/U 01/U 11/B 11/B
BHK 025/041 020/043 027/038 024/043 026/044 022/039 019/033
00/N 00/B 10/N 00/U 00/B 11/B 11/B
SHR 024/043 020/041 027/038 019/045 024/044 022/037 017/034
00/U 00/E 54/S 00/U 12/O 22/S 11/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Warning in effect from 3 AM to 6 PM MST Saturday
FOR ZONES 63-141-172-228.
Wind Advisory in effect until 2 PM MST Saturday FOR ZONES
65-66.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
818 PM MST FRI FEB 03 2023
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0400 PM NON-TSTM WND GST 3 ESE EMIGRANT 45.35N 110.68W
02/03/2023 M51.00 MPH PARK MT MESONET
&&
EAThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
2 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds gusted up to 59 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 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2023
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: 1075623, 1075622.