Alert archive / Montana / Winter Storm Warnings in 2011

Winter Storm Warning 18, NWS Billings, MT

December 20, 20114 counties in Montana

NWS Billings, MT issued this winter storm warning at Dec 20, 2011, 3:47 PM MST for 4 counties in Montana. It took effect at Dec 20, 2011, 8:00 PM MST. It was in force for 25 hr. No storm report in the archive falls inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named.

The facts

Issued
Dec 20, 2011, 3:47 PM MST (22:47 UTC)
In effect from
Dec 20, 2011, 8:00 PM MST
Expired
Dec 21, 2011, 8:51 PM MST
In force
25 hr
Issued by
NWS Billings, MT

Counties Carbon County, MT, Park County, MT, Stillwater County, MT, Sweet Grass County, MT

The radar

The Billings radar (KBLX), 93 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 22:51 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this winter storm warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before this winter storm warning went out at Dec 20, 3:12 PM MST, 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 20, 3:12 PM MST, 35 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 20, 3:20 PM MST, 27 minutes before
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
320 PM MST TUE DEC 20 2011

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-212230-
SOUTHERN WHEATLAND-MUSSELSHELL-TREASURE-NORTHERN ROSEBUD-CUSTER-
FALLON-NORTHERN STILLWATER-YELLOWSTONE-POWDER RIVER-CARTER-
SOUTHERN BIG HORN-EASTERN CARBON-NORTHERN PARK-
NORTHERN SWEET GRASS-GOLDEN VALLEY-RED LODGE FOOTHILLS-
NORTHERN BIG HORN-SOUTHERN ROSEBUD-JUDITH GAP-PARADISE VALLEY-
LIVINGSTON AREA-BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS-ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS-
CRAZY MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS-SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS-
320 PM MST TUE DEC 20 2011

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT

A WINTER STORM SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO IMPACT AREAS WEST OF A
ROUNDUP TO BROADUS LINE WITH SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TONIGHT THROUGH
WEDNESDAY. THE BEARTOOTH/ABSAROKA AND BIG HORN MOUNTAIN RANGES AND
THEIR ASSOCIATED FOOTHILL REGIONS WILL SEE THE BEST POTENTIAL FOR
HEAVY SNOWFALL DURING THIS PERIOD. WIDESPREAD SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
AROUND 3 INCHES SEEM REASONABLE WITH HEAVIER SNOWFALL POSSIBLE.
THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. EAST OF THE
ROUNDUP TO BROADUS LINE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BE
LIGHTER...HOWEVER ROADS WILL LIKELY BE SNOW COVERED AND SLICK IN
THESE AREAS IMPACTING TRAVEL.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY

SOUTHWEST WINDS WILL DEVELOP LATE THURSDAY NIGHT IN THE WESTERN
FOOTHILLS FROM LIVINGSTON TO NYE...AND NORTH FROM BIG TIMBER TO
HARLOWTON. THESE WINDS WILL BECOME STRONG ON FRIDAY WITH POSSIBLE
SOUTHWEST WINDS GUSTING 45 TO 55 MPH. THE STRONG WIND GUSTS
COMBINED WITH SNOW COVER MAY RESULT IN SIGNIFICANT BLOWING AND
DRIFTING SNOW WHICH COULD CREATE VERY POOR VISIBILITIES AND
DRIFTING OVER ROADWAYS. BLOWING SNOW AND STRONG CROSSWINDS ARE
POSSIBLE ON PORTIONS OF I-90 FROM LIVINGSTON TO BIG TIMBER AS WELL
AS PORTIONS OF HIGHWAY 191 FROM BIG TIMBER TO HARLOWTON AMONG
OTHER ROADWAYS IN THE AREA.

HOLIDAY TRAVEL THIS WEEK HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY
IMPACTED...MAINLY WEST OF A ROUNDUP TO BROADUS LINE. TRAVELERS
SHOULD MONITOR THE LATEST FORECAST FOR DETAILS AND CHANGES ALONG
THEIR PATH OF TRAVEL AND PLAN FOR POTENTIAL WINTER CONDITIONS.
TRAVELERS SHOULD ALSO MAKE SURE TO HAVE A WINTER SURVIVAL KIT IN
THEIR VEHICLES IN CASE OF AN EMERGENCY.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The office that day

Everything else NWS Billings, MT issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Dec 20, 2:41 AM MSTHigh Wind WarningBYZ12 hr
Dec 20, 3:47 PM MSTWinter Weather AdvisoryBYZBig Horn, Golden Valley, Park, Powder River, Rosebud, Stillwater and 1 more29 hr

Nearby

Winter Storm Warnings in Montana, 2011Winter Storm Warnings in Wyoming, 2011Every winter storm warning in 2011

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.