Blizzard, Wheatland/Park/Sweet Grass
- When
- December 7, 10:00 PM MST to December 8, 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wheatland/Park/Sweet Grass forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
Blizzard in Montana, December 7 to 8, 1998
Strong pressure gradients ahead of a Pacific storm system caused gusty winds to develop in the Upper Yellowstone Valley. This combined with the record snowfall which fell across the area on December 3 and 4 to produce widespread blowing snow which reduced visibilities to near zero, and forced the closure of I-90 between Columbus and Bozeman after numerous accidents were reported.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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
- 2
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 BYZ wrote it up.
Strong pressure gradients ahead of a Pacific storm system caused gusty winds to develop in the Upper Yellowstone Valley. This combined with the record snowfall which fell across the area on December 3 and 4 to produce widespread blowing snow which reduced visibilities to near zero, and forced the closure of I-90 between Columbus and Bozeman after numerous accidents were reported.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Stillwater/Carbon
- When
- December 8, 2:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
- Where
- Stillwater/Carbon forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 45.669, -109.395 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
What these are
- Blizzard
- Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Lightning Strike and Dense Fog in Arizona, December 7 to 15, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Louisiana, December 7, 1998
- Heat in Maine, December 7, 1998
- Heat in New Hampshire, December 7, 1998
- Heat in Massachusetts, December 7, 1998
- Flooding in Kansas, December 7 to 9, 1998
- High Wind in Wyoming, December 7, 1998
- Heat in Vermont, December 7, 1998
- Heat in Vermont, December 7, 1998
- Heat in Vermont, December 7, 1998
- Heat in New York, December 7, 1998
- Damaging Wind in Ohio, December 7, 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5677117, 5677118.