High Wind — Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine, Montana

2024-11-17 · Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine, Montana

Event narrative

Mesonet station GW0718 Joplin 25 NNW measured a few gusts of 60 mph or greater, including a peak gust of 61 mph. This station was in lee of terrain and was very much on the high end for sensors in the county, with no other sensor approaching 58 mph gusts.

Wider weather episode

Although the region was between systems, strong cross barrier flow along the Rocky Mountain Front and a modest ridgetop inversion resulted in mountain waves over the adjacent plains. Additionally, strong winds below the inversion in and around Great Falls were translated to the surface over multiple hours the morning of the 17th, with gusts in excess of 70 mph observed at the Great Falls Airport.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1219247. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.