Montana, 2002Winter Storm in Montana, April 1, 2002
April 1, 2002 · NWS TFX · 4 events in 4 counties and zones
4 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 4
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 forecasters said that day
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 31, 9:30 PM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 31, 9:30 PM MST, 2 hours 30 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
930 PM MST SUN MAR 31 2002
.SHORT TERM...ALREADY UPDATED ZONES TO REMOVE MENTION OF HIGH WIND
WARNING FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...AND TO SPEED DEVELOPMENT OF NORTH
WIND AND SNOW DUE TO FRONTAL PASSAGE. FRONT PUSHED THROUGH CUT BANK
033OZ AND EXPECT IT THROUGH GREAT FALLS BETWEEN 05Z AND 06Z. SNOW
DEVELOPING ACROSS SOUTHERN ALTA BEHIND FRONT WITH SOME MODERATE SNOW.
CONSIDERING MOISTURE...COLD AIR AND FAVORABLE DYNAMICS ASSOCIATED
WITH DISTURBANCE SLIDING OUT OF THE NORTHWEST...HAVE INCREASED
FORECAST SNOW AMOUNTS ACROSS MOST OF CWA. WINTER STORM WARNING STILL
IN EFFECT FOR FRONT RANGE OF ROCKIES TONIGHT AND MONDAY...WITH SNOW
ADVISORY TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY EVENING OVER ADJACENT PLAINS AND
FAVORABLE UPSLOPE AREAS. SNOW AND COLD TO BLANKET MOST OF CWA MONDAY
WITH SNOW ENDING FROM THE NORTH LATE MONDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH MONDAY
EVENING. COLD TEMPERATURES PERSIST THROUGH TUESDAY. FLOW BECOMES MORE
ZONAL FOR SOME WARMING WEDNESDAY WITH RIDGE BUILDING IN FOR CONTINUED
WARMING THURSDAY.
.EXTENDED...HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE PASSES OVER REGION THURSDAY BRINGING
SEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES TO THE REGION. FRIDAY...A PACIFIC SYSTEM
SWEEPS INLAND UNDERCUTTING RIDGE AND OPENING DOOR FOR ANOTHER COOL
SURFACE HIGH TO SLIDE OUT OF CANADA. MODELS SHOW SOME DISAGREEMENT IN
HANDLING OF SURFACE HIGH...MRF TRACKS IT WELL TO THE EAST OF CWA...
WHILE ECMWF BRINGS IT DOWN OVER CWA. CONSIDERING RECENT TRENDS...AM
INCLINED TO LEAN TOWARD ECMWF AND WILL PULL BACK TEMPERATURES FRIDAY
A FEW DEGREES. AT SAME TIME...WILL HAVE SOME PACIFIC MOISTURE THAT
ACCOMPANIES THE PACIFIC SYSTEM. WITH COMBINATION OF COOLER AIR AND
MOISTURE WILL MENTION A CHANCE OF SHOWERS MOST AREAS FRIDAY. ZONAL
FLOW THEN IN PLACE THROUGH SATURDAY...BACKING TO THE SOUTHWEST ON
SUNDAY FOR RETURN TO SEASONABLY WARM TEMPERATURES WITH SOME WIND
AND ISOLATED SHOWERS...MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS.
.CCF NUMBERS
GTF SB 026/026 000/015 000 04++6
BBEEE 030/020 054/030 048/033 058/030 056 11111232111
CTB SB 018/018 905/010 905 04++3
BBEEE 024/015 050/025 042/028 048/026 050 11111232111
HLN SE 032/032 010/020 012 044+8
EBEEE 035/020 052/026 048/030 054/030 055 21111232222
BZN SE 034/034 015/024 010 044+8
EBEEE 040/015 048/020 046/021 044/020 048 21111232222
WEY JC 025/030 018/025 005 044+8
EBEEE 040/010 045/015 043/015 040/015 044 31111343333
DLN CE 032/045 018/030 015 04156
EBEEE 045/021 052/025 048/022 050/021 052 31111232222
HVR SB 022/022 004/010 905 04+82
BBEEE 022/015 052/022 048/028 053/028 056 11111221111
LWT SB 032/032 002/014 002 04++6
BBEEE 035/015 052/025 047/028 050/029 052 11111232222=
.TFX...WINTER STORM WARNING ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT LATE TONIGHT
AND MONDAY (ZONES 9 AND 48)
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY CENTRAL MONTANA MON (ZONES
10..12..44..46...49..50..51)
...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NRN PORTION OF SW MT MON AND MON EVE
(ZONES 14..52..53..54)Winter Storm, North Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A winter storm occurred across a portion of North Central and Central Montana on the 1st. Snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front around midnight on the 1st, and then moved into the Great Falls and Helena areas by day break. The snow was heavy at times, reducing visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. Numerous roads were closed in the Helena area due to reduced visibilities.Some total snow accumulations from this event include: 10 inches at East Glacier 20 W and Lincoln, and 6 to 8 inches at Choteau and Belt.
Winter Storm, Southern Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A winter storm occurred across a portion of North Central and Central Montana on the 1st. Snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front around midnight on the 1st, and then moved into the Great Falls and Helena areas by day break. The snow was heavy at times, reducing visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. Numerous roads were closed in the Helena area due to reduced visibilities.Some total snow accumulations from this event include: 10 inches at East Glacier 20 W and Lincoln, and 6 to 8 inches at Choteau and Belt.
Winter Storm, Cascade
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Cascade forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A winter storm occurred across a portion of North Central and Central Montana on the 1st. Snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front around midnight on the 1st, and then moved into the Great Falls and Helena areas by day break. The snow was heavy at times, reducing visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. Numerous roads were closed in the Helena area due to reduced visibilities.Some total snow accumulations from this event include: 10 inches at East Glacier 20 W and Lincoln, and 6 to 8 inches at Choteau and Belt.
Winter Storm, Southern Lewis and Clark
- When
- April 1, 12:00 AM MST to 6:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
A winter storm occurred across a portion of North Central and Central Montana on the 1st. Snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front around midnight on the 1st, and then moved into the Great Falls and Helena areas by day break. The snow was heavy at times, reducing visibilities to less than a quarter mile at times. Numerous roads were closed in the Helena area due to reduced visibilities.Some total snow accumulations from this event include: 10 inches at East Glacier 20 W and Lincoln, and 6 to 8 inches at Choteau and Belt.
- 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.
- Avalanche in Alaska, April 1, 20022 deaths · 1 event
- Drought in Georgia, April 1 to 30, 200297 events
- Drought in Colorado, April 1 to 30, 200221 events
- Drought in New Mexico, April 1 to 30, 200221 events
- Drought in New Jersey, April 1 to 30, 200220 events
- Rip Current in Guam, April 1, 20022 injured · 1 event
- Drought in Georgia, April 1 to 30, 200216 events
- Drought in New York, April 1 to 30, 200215 events
- Drought in Pennsylvania, April 1 to 30, 200210 events
- Drought in South Carolina, April 1 to 30, 20029 events
- High Wind in Hawaii, April 1 to 2, 20021 injured · 56 kt wind · 1 event
- Drought in Connecticut, April 1 to 30, 20028 events
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: 5290446, 5290521, 5290522, 5290523.