High Wind — Southern High Plains, Montana

2024-10-19 · Southern High Plains, Montana

Event narrative

Montana mesonet station acebynum Bynum W measured a 77 wind gust. Additionally, mesonet station DELMT measured sustained winds, averaged over an hour, of 51 mph. Additional sensors in the zone gusted 58+ mph, including mesonet HODMT Hodgkiss and mesonet station acebowma Bowmans Corner NW. Mesonet sensor MTBOW Bowmans Corner (MT DOT) measured sustained winds, averaged over an hour, of 40 mph.

Wider weather episode

A splitting trough resulted in a period of heavy snow across the high terrain of Madison and Gallatin counties late Oct 17 into the 18th. Further, as the trough pulled away, a secondary wave diving SE from BC resulted in strong cross barrier flow, ridgetop stability and hence strong wind gusts across the plains adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Front. A strong pressure gradient also helped stronger gusts occur near the Rocky Mountain Front.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1211540. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.