Strong zonal flow coinciding with the passage of a shortwave trough was translated to the surface, primarily during the evening of the 8th and into the 9th over the plains and adjacent areas. The strongest winds were more isolated east of I-15 over the plains, but did occur.
Every event with a place to put it; 17 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 TFX wrote it up.
Strong zonal flow coinciding with the passage of a shortwave trough was translated to the surface, primarily during the evening of the 8th and into the 9th over the plains and adjacent areas. The strongest winds were more isolated east of I-15 over the plains, but did occur.
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 Dec 7, 10:37 PM MST, 4 hours 23 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 1037 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 Aviation Section Updated. .KEY MESSAGES... - It will be windy tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and Monday afternoon/evening through Tuesday it will be windy across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. - There will be daily rounds of snowfall in the mountains during this work week with snowfall returning to the lower-elevations to end the work week. - It will be warm through the middle of the work week with cold temperatures to end the work week. && .UPDATE... /Issued 751 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025/ A weak wave traversing northwesterly flow aloft has combined with sufficient moisture to result in a brief period of lower elevation rain and mountain snow this evening. Snow accumulation has generally been less than an inch at pass level, though isolated locations have seen a bit more. The precipitation moves off to the east later tonight, transitioning the greatest concern to wind, mostly over the plains through the night. Winds at 700 mb increase through the remainder of the evening into the overnight, exceeding 50 kts along the Rocky Mountain Front. Although a building pressure gradient and weak ridgetop stability will help translate a few stronger gusts to the surface, the orientation of winds aloft (More northwesterly) do not align with the surface winds (More westerly to southwesterly). This results in a lesser confidence in any widespread gusts in excess of 65 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front through the night. Hence, no High Wind Warnings are being considered at this time for the overnight into early Monday. Only minor tweaks were made to the near-term portion of the forecast to account for latest trends and guidance. -AM && .DISCUSSION... /Issued 751 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025/ - Meteorological Overview: This afternoon there is an upper-lever ridge over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will allow temperatures to be warm with mostly dry weather. However Hill and Northern Blaine Counties will be slow to warm up. This afternoon through tonight there will be light precipitation primarily confined to the Continental Divide. This evening through tomorrow morning due to strong low and mid-level winds and a strong pressure gradient it will get windy across North-central Montana with the strongest winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. The upper-level ridge will remain over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana on Monday which will allow temperatures to warm up some more with dry weather at lower-elevations and mountain snow. Due to an increasing pressure gradient combined with strong low and mid-level winds, winds will begin to increase Monday afternoon and evening. On Tuesday the upper- level ridge flattens before another upper-level ridge builds in Tuesday afternoon. This will bring precipitation chances to the mountains of North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana Tuesday. Due to a strong pressure gradient combined with strong low and mid-level winds it will be windy across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana on Tuesday. On Wednesday the upper-level ridge remains over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana this will allow the warm temperatures to continue. Wednesday evening an upper-level shortwave associated with an Arctic Cold Front will move through and bring precipitation chances to the area with windy conditions. On Thursday there is northwest flow aloft over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This combined with the Arctic Cold Front will bring cooler temperatures, precipitation chances, and windy conditions to the area on Thursday. The coldest temperatures will be in North-central Montana particularly along the Hi-Line. On Friday northwest flow aloft remains over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will keep the cool/cold temperatures over the area with precipitation chances. On Saturday an upper-level ridge will build in over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will allow temperatures to slowly warm back up with mostly dry weather. -IG - Forecast Confidence & Scenarios: Tonight through Monday morning there is greater than a 60% chance for wind gusts of 75 mph or greater along the Rocky Mountain Front. Due to this probability being a little on the low side for a warning plus low confidence in a mountain wave to bring the wind gusts down, a High Wind Warning was not issued for this area from tonight through Monday morning but there is a high likelihood of wind gusts in excess of 60 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front tonight through Monday morning. On Monday there is greater than a 70% chance for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater along the plains west of I-15. On Monday and Tuesday along the Rocky Mountain Front there is greater than a 80% chance for wind gusts of 75 mph or greater. On Tuesday there is greater than a 50% chance for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater across most of North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. There is greater than a 70% chance for sustained winds of 40 mph or greater along the plains west of I-15, in the Madison River Valley, and in the Geyser vicinity. High wind watches remain in effect for North-central and Central Montana and the Madison River Valley for Monday afternoon/evening through Tuesday morning. On Monday there is a 20 - 40% chance for high temperatures of 45 degrees or greater across most of the lower-elevations of North- central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. On Tuesday and Wednesday there is greater than a 50% chance for high temperatures of 45 degrees or greater across most of the lower-elevations of North- central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. From now through Monday morning there is greater than a 75% chance for 2 inches of snow or greater along the Rocky Mountain Front. From Monday morning to Tuesday morning there is greater than a 60% chance for 4 inches of snow or greater along much of the Rocky Mountain Front. From Tuesday morning through Wednesday morning there is greater than a 50% chance for 4 inches of snowfall or greater along the Continental Divide. -IG && .AVIATION... 08/06Z TAF Period The primary concern this TAF period will be for increasing surface winds and gusts, initially across the plains through the remainder of the night. In areas where surface winds are slow to increase, LLWS will be a concern into Monday morning. Mountain wave turbulence will become increasingly common through the TAF period. Another round of precipitation develops along the Continental Divide Monday morning into the afternoon, which will obscure mountains. -AM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 35 48 40 52 / 10 10 30 30 CTB 28 45 32 44 / 0 10 30 30 HLN 31 49 39 53 / 40 30 50 60 BZN 27 47 37 54 / 30 10 20 50 WYS 20 33 26 38 / 80 40 70 90 DLN 28 46 37 51 / 30 10 20 40 HVR 23 43 31 46 / 20 10 40 50 LWT 28 43 32 47 / 30 10 20 50 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Watch from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning for Cascade County below 5000ft-East Glacier Park Region-Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera-Eastern Pondera and Eastern Teton-Eastern Toole and Liberty-Gates of the Mountains- Northern High Plains-Southern High Plains-Southern Rocky Mountain Front-Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass. High Wind Watch from Monday evening through Tuesday morning for Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine-Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains-Fergus County below 4500ft-Hill County-Judith Basin County and Judith Gap-Little Belt and Highwood Mountains- Madison River Valley-Meagher County Valleys-Northern Blaine County-Snowy and Judith Mountains-Western and Central Chouteau County. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1041 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1000 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 16 SE Gallatin Gateway 45.44N 110.95W
12/07/2025 M62 MPH Gallatin MT Mesonet
Mesonet station GNFHY 10.7 W Emigrant
(AVALANCHE).
&&
BrusdsaSpecial Weather Statement National Weather Service Great Falls MT 1130 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 MTZ319-323-080800- Helena Valley-Canyon Ferry Area- Including the cities of Helena, Toston, Townsend, and Winston 1130 PM MST Sun Dec 7 2025 ...Patchy freezing rain overnight... Very light rain showers are moving through the Helena and Townsend valleys at 1130 PM. Road temperatures are near freezing in this area. It is possible that some roadways could become icy later tonight as the pavement cools. Thus, those traveling overnight in the Helena and Townsend area should be alert for quickly changing road conditions. Brusda
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
143 AM MST Mon Dec 8 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0821 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 8 SE East Glacier Park 48.36N 113.11W
12/07/2025 M65 MPH Glacier MT Mesonet
Mesonet station DCRM8 Deep Creek RAWS.
1200 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 14 WSW Saint Mary 48.69N 113.72W
12/08/2025 M72 MPH Glacier MT Mesonet
Mesonet station LGPVC Logan Pass (GNP).
1200 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 16 SE Gallatin Gateway 45.44N 110.95W
12/08/2025 M71 MPH Gallatin MT Mesonet
Mesonet station GNFHY 10.7 W Emigrant
(AVALANCHE).
0100 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 8 WSW Saint Mary 48.68N 113.58W
12/08/2025 M67 MPH Glacier MT Mesonet
Mesonet station SNPMT Sunpoint.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
17 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Two Glacier NP sensors measured gusts in excess of 75 mph, including Logan Pass and Sunpoint. The peak gust observed was at Logan Pass and was 81 mph.
Two sensors measured gusts of 75 mph or greater or sustained winds, averaged over at least an hour, of 50 mph. These sensors include Dog Gun Lake E, Two Medicine Bridge.
Two sensors measured criteria gusts or sustained winds, including ASOS station KCTB Cut Bank Airport and MT mesonet station Mission Lake S. The peak observed gust was 74 mph at the ASOS in Cut Bank.
Three sensors measured gusts in excess of 75 mph, including Chouteau South MT DOT, Dellwo DELMT, and Hodgkiss HODMT. The peak gust observed was 85 mph, measured at Chouteau South.
AWOS station K1CM Charlie measured multiple gusts in excess of 58 mph, including a peak of 67 mph. MT DOT sensor Geyser also measured a few gusts in excess of 58 mph, including a peak of 62 mph.
Several stations measured criteria gusts, including MTM76 Cascade E (65 mph), MT mesonet sensor Sun River SE (59 mph), ASOS station KGTF Great Falls Airport (63 mph), and FW1843 Great Falls (63 mph).
A personal weather device at Upper Elk Creek measured a 72 mph gust. Additionally, the Gleason RAWS GSNM8 measured a 61 mph gust.
AWOS station K1HM Hotel measured a 67 mph gust. MT mesonet sensor at Midway colony measured a 60 mph gust.
Mesonet stations GW3546, GW0718, and Mt Lebanon SE all measured gusts in excess of 58 mph. The peak observed gust was at GW0718 (25 NNW Joplin) and was 85 mph.
MT DOT sensor at Norris Hill measured a 64 mph gust.
MT DOT sensor at Flesher Pass measured a 58 mph gust.
MT Mesonet station Fox Crossing SW measured a 65 mph gust.
Trained spotter reported a 61 mph gust very near Silver City.
MT DOT sensors at Deep Creek Pass and Bridger Canyon measured gusts in excess of 58 mph, including a peak gust of 72 mph at Bridger Canyon.
MT DOT sensors at Monarch Canyon and Kings Hill Pass both measured gusts in excess of 58 mph, including a peak of 66 mph at Monarch Canyon.
AWOS station K1OM Oscar measured a peak gust of 64 mph. MT DOT sensor at Beacon Hill also measured criteria gusts, including a peak of 61 mph.
RAWS station FBLM8 Fort Belknap Raws measured a 60 mph gust.
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: 1299063, 1299061, 1299062, 1299065, 1299071, 1299068, 1299066, 1299067, 1299064, 1299072, 1299069, 1299073, 1299070, 1299077, 1299076, 1299075, 1299074.