Is Cascade, Montana windy? (Great Falls, Helena: house, living in, moving to)

[Kimber7]

We're thinking of moving to the area near Great Falls, Montana. I expect wind on the plains, but I'm hoping the rugged terrain near Cascade, about 25 miles from Great Falls, would have less wind. I hate wind. I mean, I really, really hate it. We're looking for a nice, small town away from the crowds and city. I like snow and cold and I'm highly adaptable. But, I hate wind. If Cascade is windy, can someone tell me where a nice, non-windy town is within about 40 miles of Great Falls? Thanks!

[DontLookPhoto]

You're not going to get away from wind in Cascade or just about anywhere else.
I think the least windy places are in western Montana in some of the twisty high walled river canyons in heavily forested mountainous areas.
An example would be like an area near Quinns Hot Springs resort. We do river floats in that stretch when it's blown out in other more open places.
For the same reasons there are a lot of places near Cascade that may get much more wind downstream.

[MTSilvertip]

Cascade is a great little town, Missouri river runs along the east side, good people, quiet for the most part, one of my favorite little towns in Montana.

That said, it gets a LOT of wind.

There are very few places in Montana that don't get wind, and most of those are in lee areas behind a mountain or something that provides shelter.

About the only place I know that doesn't get much wind is Big Sky.

This may not be the place for you if you don't like any wind at all as pretty much anything east of the divide has constant wind, quiet days are notable. The south west around Dillon or Ennis gets hit too every so often.

I don't spend enough time on the west side of the divide to tell you about specific places wind, but I don't know of any that get NO wind.

Good Luck

[julian17033]

I was married in Great Falls and lived in Helena for 14 years.
I've traveled I-15 from Helena to Great Falls more times than I can count due to my in-laws living in Great Falls.

Cascade is very very windy as compared to Great Falls because Cascade sits in a very wide basin that is easily visible as you are driving north out of the mountains towards Cascade and Great Falls.
There is very little to stop the wind due to the lack of trees. You would have to live in Craig which is another 22 miles south of Cascade in order to live relatively wind free.

Craig is very small with no amenities and sits on the west side of I-15.
Property is expensive due to it being considered a recreation area for the Missouri River which flows through Craig.

Great falls and vicinity is one of the windiest places in the United States and has held the nations windiest city distinction for quite awhile now.

My advice is to look in Great Falls for a house and learn to live with the wind.

[Kimber7]

Thanks!