A strong mid-level jet moved into the Rocky Mountain Front. This combined with a strong surface pressure gradient and mountain wave activity brought isolated strong winds to the Rocky Mountain Front.
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.
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.
A strong mid-level jet moved into the Rocky Mountain Front. This combined with a strong surface pressure gradient and mountain wave activity brought isolated strong winds to the Rocky Mountain Front.
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 10, 4:08 AM MST, 1 hour 7 minutes earlier.
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</html>Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1251 AM MST Sat Jan 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0921 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 8 SE East Glacier Park 48.36N 113.11W
01/09/2026 M71 MPH Glacier MT Mesonet
Mesonet station DCRM8 Deep Creek RAWS.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
435 AM MST Sat Jan 10 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0300 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 16 SE Gallatin Gateway 45.44N 110.95W
01/10/2026 M63 MPH Gallatin MT Mesonet
Mesonet station GNFHY 10.7 W Emigrant
(AVALANCHE).
&&
BrusdaThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station DELMT Dellwo (MCSCN) measured a 69 mph wind gust. Montana mesonet site Bynum W. also had an average sustained wind speed of 47 mph from 4PM to 5PM MST.
Montana mesonet site DOGM8 Dog Gun Lake had an average sustained wind speed of 52 mph from 12:25 to 14:15 MST and measured high wind gusts. Mesonet station MTBWG Browning (MT DOT), and Wetzel NE also measured high sustained winds and wind gusts.
Montana mesonet site MINM8 Mission Lake measured average sustained wind speed of 41 mph from 12:15 to 14:35 MST. They also measured high wind gusts during the time period.
Mt Lebanon SE Montana Mesonet site averaged a sustained wind of 41 mph from 4:10 PM until 5:35 PM MST. This site also measured a 65 mph wind gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2026
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: 1304771, 1304765, 1304767, 1304768.