An upper level ridge was broken down across the region, resulting in strong zonal flow aloft. These stronger winds aloft were translated to the surface along the Rocky Mountain Front, adjacent plains, and across portions of the MT-200 corridor.
Every event with a place to put it; 6 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.
An upper level ridge was broken down across the region, resulting in strong zonal flow aloft. These stronger winds aloft were translated to the surface along the Rocky Mountain Front, adjacent plains, and across portions of the MT-200 corridor.
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 Jan 15, 9:52 PM MST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.
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</html>The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
6 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Many, many stations measured strong winds and gusts in this zone, including mesonet station Wetzel (MT mesonet), which measured a 77 mph gust.
Wunderground station Upper Elk Creek, near Elk Creek rd measured a 60 mph gust.
Multiple stations in this zone measured sustained winds and gusts reaching criteria, including ASOS station KCTB Cut Bank Airport, which measured a peak gust of 80 mph.
Ambient sensor Red Barn, west of Geyser, measured a 59 mph gust.
Many sensors in this zone measured gusts reaching criteria, including at Montana mesonet station Bynum W (Acebynum), which measured an 83 mph gust.
Two sensors measured gusts reaching criteria in this zone, including mesonet station SNPMT Sunpoint, which 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, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1240213, 1240217, 1240214, 1240216, 1240218, 1240215.