High Wind in Montana, January 11 to 12, 2026

Name: High Wind in Montana, January 11 to 12, 2026
Start: 2026-01-11T13:35
End: 2026-01-12T19:55
Location: Montana

January 11 to 12, 2026 · NWS TFX · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 11 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 11

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.

An upper-level disturbance moving through the region brought strong winds aloft and strengthened the surface pressure gradient along the Rocky Mountain Front. This brought a period of high winds to the Rocky Mountain Front on the 11th. These stronger winds aloft progressed east across the plains on the 12th, which brought high winds to North-Central MT, primarily along the Montana Highway 200 Corridor.

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 10, 4:24 PM MST, 21 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 10, 4:24 PM MST, 21 hours 11 minutes before

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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

11 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.

High Wind, Northern High Plains

When: January 11, 1:35 PM MST to January 12, 2:35 PM MST
Where: Northern High Plains forecast zone
Measured: 77 kt (89 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.467, -112.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station MTBRN Two Medicine Bridge (MT DOT) measured an 89 mph wind gust and measured an average high sustained wind of 60 mph on the 12th between 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM MST. A few other stations measured high wind gusts and sustained winds during the period.

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

When: January 11, 5:15 PM MST to January 12, 12:30 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 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 a 69 mph wind gust an averaged a high sustained wind of 41 mph on the 11th between 7:50 PM and 8:50PM MST. A few other stations also reported high wind gusts and sustained winds during this period. There was also a public report of a trailer tipped over 9 NW of Ledger.

High Wind, East Glacier Park Region

When: January 11, 9:00 PM MST to January 12, 7:11 AM MST
Where: East Glacier Park Region forecast zone
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.467, -112.610 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station SNPMT Sunpoint measured a high wind gust. Mesonet station LGPVC Logan Pass (GNP) and Mesonet station SRYM8 Saint Mary RAWS also had a high wind gust.

High Wind, Cascade County Below 5000ft

When: January 12, 3:30 AM MST to 11:36 AM MST
Where: Cascade County Below 5000ft forecast zone
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph) measured gust
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.308, -111.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

ASOS station KGTF Great Falls Airport measured a 64 mph wind gust. Multiple weather stations also hit a high wind gust.

High Wind, Eastern Toole and Liberty

When: January 12, 5:35 AM MST
Where: Eastern Toole and Liberty forecast zone
Measured: 50 kt (58 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 48.609, -111.360 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Montana Mesonet site Mt Lebanon SE measured a 58 mph wind gust.

High Wind, Judith Basin County and Judith Gap

When: January 12, 6:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin County and Judith Gap forecast zone
Measured: 62 kt (71 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.155, -109.745 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station MTGYS Geyser (MT DOT) measured a 71 mph wind gust. AWOS station K1CM Charlie also measured a high wind gust.

High Wind, Western and Central Chouteau County

When: January 12, 8:00 AM MST to 12:45 PM MST
Where: Western and Central Chouteau County forecast zone
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.881, -110.435 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station MTM02 10.2 S Loma (MT-MESO) measured a 60 mph wind gust. Mesonet station MTLOM Loma (MT DOT) also measured a high wind gust.

High Wind, Southern High Plains

When: January 12, 10:15 AM MST to 7:55 PM MST
Where: Southern High Plains forecast zone
Measured: 55 kt (63 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.480, -112.315 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station DELMT Dellwo (MCSCN) measured a 63 mph wind gust. A few other weather stations also measured high wind gusts during this period.

High Wind, Fergus County Below 4500ft

When: January 12, 12:15 PM MST to 1:15 PM MST
Where: Fergus County Below 4500ft forecast zone
Measured: 36 kt (41 mph) measured sustained
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.264, -109.224 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station Forestgrove N observed an average 41 mph sustained winds between 12:15 PM and 1:15 PM MST.

High Wind, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: January 12, 2:09 PM MST to 4:09 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Measured: 53 kt (61 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.480, -112.315 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station GSNM8 Gleason RAWS measured a 61 mph wind gust.

High Wind, Upper Blackfoot and Macdonald Pass

When: January 12, 2:45 PM MST
Where: Upper Blackfoot and Macdonald Pass forecast zone
Measured: 60 kt (69 mph) measured gust
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.122, -112.390 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Mesonet station MTFPS Flesher Pass S-279 Mp 30.5 measured a 69 mph wind 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

Every storm in Montana in 2026 Every state in 2026 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, January 2026

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1304944, 1304946, 1304936, 1304951, 1304947, 1304952, 1304950, 1304949, 1304953, 1304948, 1304954.