Strong Winds occurred across Sweet Grass through Wheatland counties, producing gusts up to 74 mph. This is the pre-event for the widespread winds occurred across the area the next day.
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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.
Strong Winds occurred across Sweet Grass through Wheatland counties, producing gusts up to 74 mph. This is the pre-event for the widespread winds occurred across the area the next 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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 16, 3:58 AM MST, 2 hours 47 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
358 AM MST Tue Dec 16 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Warmer and mostly drier weather expected through mid week.
Expect continued rapid snow melt over the plains.
- Periods of strong wind for foothills/gap locations including
Livingston/Nye through Friday. Strong winds across the entire
area Wednesday.
- Strong winds across the US-191 corridor through this morning.
Chance of extreme cross winds (Big Timber to Judith Gap)
Wednesday.
- Several inches of snowfall is expected Wednesday in the
Beartooth/Absaroka and Crazy mountains, greatest on west
aspects.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Monday...
Winds have been gusting into the 50s to near 70 mph at times over
the western foothills overnight as tight pressure gradients (IDA-
LWT currently 18mb) and mid-level winds increase (700mb winds of
50-80 kts). Mountain wave activity along portions of the
Beartooths and the lee side of the Bighorns has brought wind gusts
at times of 40-60 mph. Expect the strong winds to persist along
the foothills through the morning, before gradually decreasing
into the afternoon. Wind gusts of 50 to 75mph remain possible
through the morning, strongest near Livingston and Nye. Have made
no changes to the High Wind Warnings currently out along the
foothills through this morning/early afternoon.
The brief decrease in winds this afternoon will be short-lived
however, as pressure gradients tighten tonight into Wednesday
ahead of a clipper system crossing into the region. Pressure
gradients are forecast to increase towards 16-20mb, with 700mb
winds increasing to 65-85 kts. Strong to damaging winds are
possible along the foothills tonight through Wednesday. This set-
up currently appears somewhat similar to the recent event that
brought extreme gusts to the Big Timber area and will be something
to keep an eye on. Currently, there is a 70-90% chance of gusts
over 60 mph along the US-191 corridor from Big Timber to Harlowton
and a 30-50% chance of gusts greater than 70 mph. The probability
for wind gusts of 75 mph or greater for Livingston and Nye is
around 60%. A cold front moving through the region Wednesday
afternoon will spread the gusty winds across the plains, with
gusts around 40-60 mph common through the late evening/night as
strong pressure rises persist behind the front. A High Wind Watch
has been issued for most of the area starting tonight or Wednesday
morning, continuing into Wednesday night.
The cold front will spread rain/snow showers (40-70%) across the
area Wednesday into Wednesday evening, with rain becoming mostly
snow by late afternoon/evening. Over the Absaroka/Beartooth
mountains, there is a 70% chance of at least 6" of snow through
Wednesday night. Thursday into Friday, upper level flow turns more
westerly and is accompanied by another push of Pacific moisture.
There is still disagreement on the exact details, but there is
currently a 60% chance of at least 12" of snow over the
Absaroka/Beartooth mountains Thursday evening through Saturday
morning. Another period of strong winds for the foothills is
possible Thursday night into Friday, with current probabilities of
60 mph winds at 40-80%.
Highs will be generally in the 40s and 50s today and Wednesday.
Then, behind the cold front, highs will drop into mostly 30s and
40s for Thursday. Temperatures warm briefly Friday back into the
40s and 50s before again decreasing to 30s and 40s through the
weekend. Archer/STP
.AVIATION...
The main aviation hazard over the next 24 hours is wind,
especially over the western foothills. KLVM will see maximum wind
gusts around 60 kts this morning before decreasing into the 35-40
kt range after 18Z. Locations such as K6S0 and K3HT will see 50-55
kt maximum wind gusts this morning before decreasing throughout
the day after a cold frontal passage. LLWS will be a concern
across the lower elevations this morning and early afternoon
impacting KBIL, KMLS, KBHK, and KSHR. Torgerson
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 052 035/051 026/041 034/051 026/040 024/039 024/045
1/N 06/W 00/B 14/O 53/S 22/S 22/O
LVM 055 039/051 024/044 034/050 027/040 022/043 030/050
1/N 2+/W 03/S 56/O 63/S 22/O 34/O
HDN 052 030/051 019/040 031/050 025/040 021/038 021/042
2/E 17/W 10/B 24/O 63/S 22/O 12/O
MLS 045 027/047 012/033 026/044 019/033 018/036 020/037
1/B 24/W 20/B 22/O 42/S 21/B 11/E
4BQ 051 031/052 018/036 030/049 025/039 024/038 024/045
1/B 14/W 20/B 02/O 52/S 21/B 11/B
BHK 045 025/048 006/026 017/043 012/030 013/035 015/037
1/N 14/W 40/B 22/O 41/B 21/B 11/E
SHR 054 029/056 019/038 026/054 023/038 018/040 022/050
0/B 07/W 10/B 02/O 53/S 21/B 11/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...High Wind Watch in effect from Wednesday morning through late
Wednesday night FOR ZONES
29>34-36-37-42-57-58-138-139-169-170-173-235.
High Wind Warning in effect until 11 AM MST this morning FOR
ZONES 56-65-66.
High Wind Watch in effect from this evening through Wednesday
evening FOR ZONES 56-65-66.
High Wind Warning in effect until 2 PM MST this afternoon FOR
ZONES 63-68-141-172-228.
High Wind Watch in effect from late tonight through late
Wednesday night FOR ZONES 63-141-172-228.
High Wind Watch in effect from this evening through late
Wednesday night FOR ZONES 67-68.
WY...High Wind Watch in effect from Wednesday morning through late
Wednesday night FOR ZONE 199.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Billings MT
404 AM MST Tue Dec 16 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1249 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 SSE Limestone 45.41N 109.87W
12/16/2025 M68 MPH Stillwater MT Mesonet
Mesonet station CW9088 Nye.
0225 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 13 SW Washoe 45.03N 109.41W
12/16/2025 M67 MPH Carbon MT Mesonet
Mesonet station TT839 Quad Creek.
0512 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 17 NE Wilsall 46.16N 110.38W
12/15/2025 M65 MPH Park MT Mesonet
Mesonet station TT453 Crazy.
0300 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 S Pray 45.35N 110.68W
12/16/2025 M61 MPH Park MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTM86 Emigrant E.
0618 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 18 S Fort Smith 45.07N 107.89W
12/15/2025 M61 MPH Big Horn MT Mesonet
Mesonet station BHMM8 Bighorn Mountain.
0342 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 N Banner 44.64N 106.86W
12/16/2025 M60 MPH Sheridan WY Mesonet
Mesonet station WY55 2.9 N Banner (WYDOT).
1115 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst Judith Gap 46.69N 109.75W
12/15/2025 M56 MPH Wheatland MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTJUD Judith Gap (MT DOT).
0349 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 ENE Harlowton 46.45N 109.80W
12/16/2025 M54 MPH Wheatland MT AWOS
AWOS station K1KM 2 ENE Harlowton.
0745 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 3 NE Melville 46.13N 109.92W
12/15/2025 M54 MPH Sweet Grass MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTHLS Harlowton South Us-191
Mp 22.0.
0745 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 2 SSW Big Timber 45.80N 109.97W
12/15/2025 M54 MPH Sweet Grass MT AWOS
AWOS station K6S0 Big Timber.
1135 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 9 N Limestone 45.58N 109.88W
12/15/2025 M54 MPH Sweet Grass MT Mesonet
Mesonet station DBYM8 Derby Mountain.
0222 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 4 W Fishtail 45.46N 109.57W
12/16/2025 M54 MPH Stillwater MT Mesonet
Mesonet station FSLM8 Fishtail.
0307 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 9 ESE Chico 45.27N 110.54W
12/16/2025 M54 MPH Park MT Mesonet
Mesonet station WCRM8 Wicked Creek.
0245 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 9 ENE Bascom 46.70N 106.59W
12/16/2025 M53 MPH Rosebud MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTM89 Angela W.
1030 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 1 SW Springdale 45.72N 110.25W
12/15/2025 M52 MPH Park MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTSPD Springdale I-90 Mp
352.3.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Gust to 59 mph at Judith Gap DOT weather station.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2025
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: 1308141.