Heavy Snow in Montana, March 27 to 28, 1996

Name: Heavy Snow in Montana, March 27 to 28, 1996
Start: 1996-03-27T00:00
End: 1996-03-28T10:00
Location: Montana

March 27 to 28, 1996 · NWS TFX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

5 to 10 inches fell in several spots over central Montana. 20 inches of new snow was reported at Hebgen Dam.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

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The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS TFX wrote it up.

5 to 10 inches fell in several spots over central Montana. 20 inches of new snow was reported at Hebgen Dam.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When: March 27, 12:00 AM MST to March 28, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Lower Clark Fork Region

When: March 27, 12:00 AM MST to March 28, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Coordinates: 47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys

When: March 27, 12:00 AM MST to March 28, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.560, -114.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When: March 27, 12:00 AM MST to March 28, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains forecast zone
Coordinates: 46.508, -113.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, March 1996

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5544417, 5544418, 5544419, 5544420.