Winter Storm, Garfield
- When
- December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Garfield forecast zone
- Reported by
- METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
- Coordinates
- 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm in Montana, December 29 to 30, 1998
A winter storm tracking through northeast Montana brought heavy snow and freezing rain. The heaviest snow band affected an area from Malta to Opheim south through Glasgow.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 5
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 GGW wrote it up.
A winter storm tracking through northeast Montana brought heavy snow and freezing rain. The heaviest snow band affected an area from Malta to Opheim south through Glasgow. To the south and west of the heavy snow band, freezing rain caused ice to accumulate on roads and other exposed surfaces. U.S. Highway 191 was closed south of Malta for three hours due to the ice and extremely reduced visibility in blowing snow. The highest snowfall total was recorded in Glasgow at 6.8 inches.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Winter Storm, McCone
- When
- December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- McCone forecast zone
- Reported by
- FIRE DEPT/RESCUE SQUAD
- Coordinates
- 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Petroleum
- When
- December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Petroleum forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Phillips
- When
- December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Phillips forecast zone
- Reported by
- METEOROLOGIST(NON NWS)
- Coordinates
- 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Winter Storm, Valley
- When
- December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
- Coordinates
- 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Winter Storm
- A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in California, December 29, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Ohio, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Dense Fog in Florida, December 29, 1998
- Ice Storm in Montana, December 29 to 30, 1998
- High Wind in Wyoming, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Massachusetts, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in New Hampshire, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Montana, December 29, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Michigan, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow and Lake-Effect Snow in Michigan, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Winter Weather in West Virginia, December 29 to 30, 1998
- Heavy Snow in Wisconsin, December 29, 1998
More
Every storm in Montana in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 1998
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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5670381, 5670382, 5670383, 5670384, 5671340.