Blizzard, Phillips
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Phillips forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Montana, December 15 to 16, 2000
Strong winds of 25 to 40 mph along with a gusts to 60 mph produced blizzard conditions across northeastern Montana. Snowfall amounts up to 4 inches were reported with drifts to 3 and 4 feet in some locations.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 12 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
- 12
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.
Strong winds of 25 to 40 mph along with a gusts to 60 mph produced blizzard conditions across northeastern Montana. Snowfall amounts up to 4 inches were reported with drifts to 3 and 4 feet in some locations. One location at Bloomfield, in Dawson County, reported a wind gust to 81 mph.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
12 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, Garfield
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Garfield forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Petroleum
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Petroleum forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Valley
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Valley forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Daniels
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Daniels forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dawson
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Dawson forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, McCone
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- McCone forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Prairie
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Prairie forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Richland
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Roosevelt
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sheridan
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Sheridan forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wibaux
- When
- December 15, 10:00 AM MST to December 16, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wibaux forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.965, -104.249 (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
- High Wind in Oregon, December 15, 2000
- Winter Storm in Utah, December 15, 2000
- Storm Surge in Washington, December 15, 2000
- High Wind in Oregon, December 15, 2000
- High Wind in Washington, December 15, 2000
- Blizzard in North Dakota, December 15 to 16, 2000
- High Wind in Idaho, December 15, 2000
- Ice Storm in Iowa, December 15 to 16, 2000
- Ice Storm in Missouri, December 15, 2000
- Winter Weather in Illinois, December 15, 2000
- Ice Storm in Illinois, December 15 to 16, 2000
- Extreme Cold in Montana, December 15, 2000
More
Every storm in Montana in 2000Every state in 2000This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2000
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: 5177577, 5177578, 5177579, 5177580, 5177633, 5177634, 5177635, 5177636, 5177637, 5177638, 5177639, 5177640.