Heavy Snow in Montana, June 3 to 4, 2001

A late spring storm brought significant rain and snow to both west central and southwest Montana. As temperatures cooled after nightfall, the lower valleys began to see the rain change to snow. The 0.7 inches of snow measured at the National Weather Service office in Missoula was a new record snowfall for the month of June, and only the second time in the past 100 years that measurable snow has been recorded in June. However, this paled in comparison to the 4 to 8 inches of snow that fell in the city of Missoula by the early morning hours of the 4th, with countless tree limbs down and widespread power outages reported by daybreak. Many streets in Missoula were closed due to the fallen debris, and the city was declared a disaster area by the Mayor that afternoon. Many other locations throughout Missoula, Granite, Powell and Silver Bow Counties faced similar problems, with portions of Highway 83 closed and emergency travel on Interstate 90 and U.S. Highway 12. The snow melted off quickly by afternoon, as temperatures warmed into the lower 50s. Snowfall totals ranged from 4 to 8 inches in the lower valleys, up to one foot in higher valleys such as Butte. The mountains received 12 to 14 inches of new snow.