textproduct: Great Falls

KEY MESSAGES

- Lull in strong winds during most of the daylight hours today through tonight.

- Strong winds again Sunday with high wind warning levels for the Rocky Mountain Front and Northern Plains.

- Warm, dry, and breezy through the upcoming work week.

UPDATE

The High Wind Warning for today has been expanded to include Eastern Toole and Liberty County, as terrain induced winds off of the Sweet Grass Hills were increasing to warning criteria (sustained winds greater than 40 MPH for an hour and gusts greater than 58 MPH).

DISCUSSION

/Issued 1230 AM MST Sat Nov 7 2026/

- Meteorological Overview:

This morning, an upper level trough to the North of MT moves east as ridging aloft builds to the west. This results in strong winds across the Northern Rocky Mountain Front and High Plains through mid-day. By the afternoon, the axis of the upper level ridge will be close to centered over MT, allowing for a lull in the strong winds through tomorrow morning.

On Sunday, the upper-level ridge breaks down. This, combined with strong low-level and mid-level winds, will bring another day of windy conditions to North-Central Montana. The strongest winds will be along the Rocky Mountain Front with an extension of strongest winds from favorable mountain wave effects downrange over the northern plains west of I-15. On Monday, an upper-level ridge moves back over North-Central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will continue the warm and dry conditions for the area. Tuesday through Thursday, the upper-level ridge remains over North-central Montana. This will keep warm and dry weather for the area Tuesday through Thursday, with breezy winds. -IG/RA

- Forecast Confidence & Scenarios:

On Sunday along the Hi-line east of I-15 and in the lower-elevations of Cascade County there is a 30 - 70% chance for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater. On Sunday along the Rocky Mountain Front there is a 40 - 70% chance for wind gusts of 80 mph or greater. On Sunday across the plains west of I-15 there is a 50 - 90% chance for wind gusts of 70 mph or greater. As a result during the day on Sunday the High Wind Watch for Glacier County, Western Toole County, Pondera County, and the Rocky Mountain Front of Teton and Lewis and Clark Co has been upgraded to a High Wind Warning. Eastern Toole, Liberty, Hill, and Cascade County remain in a High Wind Watch. -IG/RA

AVIATION

07/12Z TAF Period

Strong winds will continue for a few more hours over the northern portions of North Central MT this morning, as skies slowly clear out later this morning. Expect lighter winds this afternoon, with surface winds increasing once again after 12z Sun. Brusda

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS

GTF 63 43 64 40 / 0 0 0 0 CTB 59 36 56 32 / 0 0 0 0 HLN 57 35 62 35 / 0 0 0 0 BZN 56 31 59 33 / 0 0 0 0 WYS 47 22 48 24 / 0 0 0 0 DLN 53 30 57 31 / 0 0 0 0 HVR 62 36 65 36 / 0 0 0 0 LWT 61 39 64 37 / 0 0 0 0

TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES

High Wind Warning until 9 AM MST this morning for East Glacier Park Region-Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera- Eastern Toole and Liberty-Northern High Plains-Southern High Plains.

High Wind Warning from 9 AM to 8 PM MST Sunday for East Glacier Park Region-Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera- Northern High Plains-Southern High Plains.

High Wind Watch from Sunday morning through Sunday evening for Cascade County below 5000ft-Eastern Toole and Liberty-Hill County.