Montana, 2025

High Wind in Montana, January 7 to 8, 2025

January 7 to 8, 2025 · NWS TFX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Upper level ridging across the Northern Rockies was broken down by a shortwave dropping SE from Canada. Strong winds aloft combined with an increasing pressure gradient resulted in a few areas of high winds, mostly in and around Cut Bank.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

Upper level ridging across the Northern Rockies was broken down by a shortwave dropping SE from Canada. Strong winds aloft combined with an increasing pressure gradient resulted in a few areas of high winds, mostly in and around Cut Bank.

What forecasters said that 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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jan 7, 10:06 PM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 7, 10:06 PM MST, 1 hour 19 minutes before
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In the hours before

Special weather statement, Jan 7, 7:06 PM MST, 4 hours 19 minutes before
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  <meta charset="utf-8">
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  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
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        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera

When
January 7, 11:25 PM MST to January 8, 9:35 AM MST
Where
Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera forecast zone
Measured
61 kt (70 mph) measured gust
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
48.529, -112.306 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

ASOS station KCTB Cut Bank Airport measured multiple gusts in excess of 58 mph in addition to several spells of high sustained winds (40 mph averaged over an hour or more). Additionally, the Sunburst DOT site and Shelby Airport also measured strong gusts and sustained winds.

High Wind, Southern High Plains

When
January 8, 12:30 AM MST
Where
Southern High Plains forecast zone
Measured
70 kt (81 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.480, -112.315 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Montana mesonet station Dog Gun Lake E ACEDOGGU measured an 80 mph gust.

High Wind, Eastern Pondera and Eastern Teton

When
January 8, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Pondera and Eastern Teton forecast zone
Measured
51 kt (59 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
48.033, -112.233 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station MTM73 Ledger N MDA measured a 59 mph gust.

High Wind, Western and Central Chouteau County

When
January 8, 7:45 AM MST
Where
Western and Central Chouteau County forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.881, -110.435 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet sensor MTM02 (MT-MESO) 10.2 miles south of Loma measured a 58 mph gust.

What these are

High Wind
Sustained non-thunderstorm winds of 40 mph or more for an hour, or gusts of 58 mph or more.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2025

Sources

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1228225, 1228224, 1228226, 1228222.