Montana, 2025

High Wind and Strong Wind in Montana, July 14 to 15, 2025

July 14 to 15, 2025 · NWS MSO · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

During the late evening of July 14th, a strong backdoor cold front moved into northwest Montana. Combined with a strong pressure gradient that was accentuated by a low-pressure system over Oregon, this front produced a period of intense and damaging downslope winds, particularly along the Mission and Swan mountain ranges.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 3 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
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
$22,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Events
3

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 MSO wrote it up.

During the late evening of July 14th, a strong backdoor cold front moved into northwest Montana. Combined with a strong pressure gradient that was accentuated by a low-pressure system over Oregon, this front produced a period of intense and damaging downslope winds, particularly along the Mission and Swan mountain ranges. The abrupt wind shift and severe gusts created dangerous conditions across the region.

Thunderstorms with dozens of lightning strikes were also reported across northwest Montana, and many locations saw widespread wetting rains. This meteorological setup was exceptionally rare; you have to go back to the Julys of 1972, 1958, and 1951 to find a similar event.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 high wind, 1 strong wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Strong Wind, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When
July 14, 5:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Measured
48 kt (55 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$500
Reported by
911 Call Center
Coordinates
48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A measured wind gust of 43 mph was recorded at the Crystal Lakes Resort airport, south of Grave Creek. It was noted that winds could have been stronger in canyons, with estimates closer to 50 mph. The winds caused scattered power outages, with specific reports of an outage in the town of Troy and another outage affecting Montana Highway 56 north of Noxon.

High Wind, West Glacier Region

When
July 14, 5:30 PM MST to July 15, 4:00 AM MST
Where
West Glacier Region forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Property damage
$6,000
Reported by
Park/Forest Service
Coordinates
47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The RAWS station at Mount Aeneas (7120 ft) recorded a peak wind gust of 88 mph. Within Glacier National Park, an estimated 10 trees were downed, many of them large Lodgepole Pines with diameters up to 24 inches wide. One of these trees fell onto a parked car at the Lake McDonald Lodge, causing damage. The downed trees also contributed to an 18-hour closure of the Inside North Fork Road and the Quarter Circle Bridge Road leading to Apgar Lookout. The observer at the Thoma Lookout by the Canadian border at 7,112 feet, reported wet snow falling during the early morning hours. Numerous trees were reported on the east side of Swan Lake.

High Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When
July 14, 6:00 PM MST to July 15, 9:00 PM MST
Where
Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Measured
50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$16,000
Crop damage
$10,000
Reported by
ASOS
Coordinates
47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The ASOS station at Kalispell (KGPI) measured a peak gust of 58 mph, with unofficial estimates of frequent gusts near 50 mph along the east shore of Flathead Lake. The winds led to extensive power outages, with over 2,500 customers without power at the peak of the event and at least eight separate instances of downed power lines reported. The winds also caused a pile burn to get away from the owner and cause a shed to catch fire, and a photo showed roof damage to a structure in Yellow Bay. Several orchards between Blue Bay and Yellow Bay sustained damage in the form of bruising and cherry, plum and leaf drop. At least three powerline-related wildfires were started: northeast of Bigfork on Highway 83 near Echo Lake, northeast shore of Whitefish Lake as a tree fell onto a line, and near Hilltop Road in Columbia Falls. Flathead Lake exhibited confused seas, with swells arriving from multiple directions. A boat broke loose in the Lakeside area. A 58-year-old male drowned after taking a rowboat out with friends Tuesday morning near Rocky Point July 15.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
High Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys2025-07-1458MaleBoatingDirect

What these are

Strong Wind
Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
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, July 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: 1284523, 1284557, 1285846.