High Wind — Northwest Beaverhead County, Montana

2025-12-17 · Northwest Beaverhead County, Montana

Event narrative

RAWS station WRSM8 and mesonet station MTBHP Big Hole Pass (MT DOT) measured gusts at or in excess of 58 mph, including a peak gust of 74 mph at Wise River. Big Hole Pass also measured sustained winds, averaging 41 mph, from 931AM MST through 335 PM MST.

Wider weather episode

Robust low to mid level flow westerly flow associated with a potent shortwave and attendant cold fronts resulted in a prolonged period of high-end winds and gusts across the entire region Dec 17 into the 18th. Multiple gusts in excess of 90 mph were observed in populated areas, with a peak observed gust of 104 mph west of Bynum. Prolonged power outages were observed across the region, mostly due to trees being damaged/falling over completely. Additional societal impacts included extremely difficult to impossible travel conditions, which prompted a Civil Emergency Message for areas along the Rocky Mountain Front the afternoon of the 17th.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1303322. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.