Heavy Snow, Golden Valley/Musselshell
- When
- March 4, 9:00 PM MST to March 5, 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- Golden Valley/Musselshell forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 46.497, -108.398 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Montana, March 4 to 5, 1999
An upper low pressure system intensified as it crossed the Rockies during the evening of March 4 and hit some unstable air which was in place over South Central Montana and North Central Wyoming. This system produced heavy snowfall across portions of South Central Montana.
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
- 3
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.
An upper low pressure system intensified as it crossed the Rockies during the evening of March 4 and hit some unstable air which was in place over South Central Montana and North Central Wyoming. This system produced heavy snowfall across portions of South Central Montana. This system also produced strong northwest winds as high as 40 mph across southern Big Horn County which produced blizzard conditions. In Big Horn County Pryor received 9 inches of snowfall while Hardin received 4 inches. Between 4 and 8 inches fell in Yellowstone County with 8 inches of snowfall at the Billings Airport. Heavy snowfall was also common across portions of Golden Valley and Musselshell Counties. Between 6 and 8 inches fell in the Roundup area while 13 to 14 inches fell in the Ryegate area. Lavina received 6 inches of snow from this storm as well. Elsewhere across South Central Montana, between 2 and 5 inches of snowfall was received in portions of Wheatland, Sweet Grass, Stillwater and Carbon Counties.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 heavy snow, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Heavy Snow, Yellowstone
- When
- March 5, 12:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
- Where
- Yellowstone forecast zone
- Reported by
- OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Blizzard, Big Horn
- When
- March 5, 3:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
- Where
- Big Horn forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
What these are
- Heavy Snow
- Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
- 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
- High Surf in California, March 4 to 5, 1999
- Strong Wind in New Jersey, March 4, 1999
- Blizzard and Heavy Snow in New York, March 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in Maine, March 4, 1999
- Winter Weather in Michigan, March 4 to 6, 1999
- Strong Wind in New Jersey, March 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in New Hampshire, March 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in Pennsylvania, March 4, 1999
- Heavy Snow in Pennsylvania, March 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in Rhode Island, March 4, 1999
- Heavy Snow in North Dakota, March 4, 1999
- Strong Wind in Maryland, March 4, 1999
More
Every storm in Montana in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 1999
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: 5684021, 5684022, 5684023.