A winter storm brought high winds to parts of northeast Montana.
Every event with a place to put it; 7 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 GGW wrote it up.
A winter storm brought high winds to parts of northeast Montana.
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 Dec 8, 3:30 AM MST, 4 hours 38 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Glasgow MT
330 AM MST Sun Dec 8 2024
.DISCUSSION...
KEY MESSAGES:
- Headlines:
* High Wind Warning:
SW Phillips/Petroleum Counties
thru 5 PM Today
* Blizzard Warning:
McCone, Richland, Prairie, Dawson and Wibaux Counties
6 PM Today thru 4 AM Monday
* Winter Weather Advisory:
North of Missouri River, Petroleum and Garfield Counties
2 PM Today thru 5 PM Monday
- Snow showers arrive by the evening along with gusty winds,
leading to hazardous travel conditions particularly in the SE
zones.
WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW:
A strong storm system moving across the region today will be limited
in moisture, but contain impactful winds through tonight behind a
cold front. This combination leads to a blowing snow setup that
is most pronounced where heavier snow amounts and strongest winds
align. This is most apparent across the Big Sheeps at this time
for a period of blizzard criteria this evening. The High Wind
Warning was kept the same in the west with highest winds being
observed in the Little Rockies and messaging focused on blowing
snow to the east.
After the upper low moves to the east and winds diminish through
the day on Monday, a northwest upper flow will prevail through
midweek with seasonable temperatures and chances of light snow at
times.
FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS:
Confidence increased for headlines related to achieving a period
of blizzard conditions this evening for the Big Sheeps with wind-
driven snow impacts elsewhere, despite forecast amounts under an
inch being common. For winds there is medium confidence on there
being minimal gusts reaching 58 mph outside of the current
warning. The main edits to the short term base NBM grids was
adjusting for higher wind expectation today into Monday with
westerly cold air advection. Generally used blends of NBM
mean/NBM90 through this period.
&&
.AVIATION...
LAST UPDATED: 1000Z
FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR - IFR.
DISCUSSION: As the wind increases today and bands of snow progress
behind an incoming cold front this afternoon through tonight,
ceilings will gradually lower to MVFR by 00Z with periods of IFR
in the snow bands, primarily due to reduced visibility from
falling/blowing snow. The longest impacts will be for KSDY and
KGDV, focused between 02-09Z.
WIND: W to NW at 20 to 35 knots with gusts up to around 45 knots.
&&
.GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
Winter Weather Advisory from 2 PM this afternoon to 5 PM MST
Monday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Central and Southern
Valley-Daniels-Eastern Roosevelt-Garfield-Northern Phillips-
Northern Valley-Petroleum-Sheridan-Southwest Phillips-Western
Roosevelt.
High Wind Warning until 5 PM MST this afternoon for Petroleum-
Southwest Phillips.
Blizzard Warning from 6 PM this evening to 4 AM MST Monday for
Dawson-McCone-Prairie-Richland-Wibaux.
Winter Weather Advisory from 4 AM to 5 PM MST Monday for Dawson-
McCone-Prairie-Richland-Wibaux.
&&
weather.gov/glasgowThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
7 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Winds across Garfield County gusted from 58 to 67 mph (at 5W Van Norman).
Wind gusts topped out at 63 mph.
Wind gusts ranged from 59 to 67 mph across the zone. Most of them occurred during the afternoon.
Highest gust occurred at the King Coulee RAWS at 344 pm.
Highest gusts occurred in the western part of the zone with station MTM87 Fort Peck South reporting the gust to 67 mph.
High winds occurred with strong winds continuing till 930 pm. Locations were mainly west of the Sidney area. Highest gust occurred at 12 SSE of Sprole.
Occurred at 7W of Carlyle, Mesonet station Ash Creek.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2024Every state in 2024This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2024
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: 1222175, 1222289, 1222290, 1222293, 1222292, 1222291, 1222294.