2 blizzard, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Feb 22, 2:30 AM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
230 AM MST FRI FEB 22 2002
.SHORT TERM...EXTREMELY TIGHT SURFACE GRADIENT ACROSS THE CWA AT
THIS TIME RESULTING IN HIGH WINDS. WIND SPEEDS REMAIN STRONG THROUGH
THE AFTERNOON AS SURFACE LOW OVER SOUTHERN CANADA SLOW TO MAKE ITS
WAY EAST. BROAD UPPER TROF SWINGS ACROSS SOUTHERN CANADA LATE THIS
AFTERNOON. SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE BEGINS TO BUILD INTO THE AREA THIS
AFTERNOON SHIFTING WINDS TO THE NORTH AND SENDING ARCTIC AIRMASS
INTO THE AREA. BEST GUESS AT THIS TIME PUTS SURFACE FRONT THROUGH
GREAT FALLS SOMEWHERE AROUND 02Z. AT THE SAME TIME...MOIST WESTERLY
FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES...SETTING UP A GOOD SNOW EVENT TONIGHT. 06Z
ETA CRANKING OUT SIGNIFICANT QPF TONIGHT. CURRENT WARNINGS AND WATCH
LOOK GOOD AND WILL CONTINUE THEM. WILL RAISE POPS FOR TONIGHT FOR
PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA. FLOW ALOFT BECOMES NORTHWEST SATURDAY
AFTERNOON WITH PRECIPITATION TAPERING OFF. UPPER TROF AXIS SWINGS
THROUGH SUNDAY WITH DRIER AIR ALOFT BEHIND. TEMPERATURES WARM AGAIN
TODAY BUT DROP TONIGHT WITH LITTLE RECOVERY SATURDAY. COLDEST
READINGS LOOK TO BE SUNDAY. EMANUEL
.EXTENDED...NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BE DOMINANT FROM DAYS 4 THROUGH
7...AS MONTANA WILL BE BETWEEN A PERSISTENT UPPER LEVEL TROF TO THE
EAST AND A RIDGE TO THE WEST...JUST OFF THE PACIFIC COAST. IT APPEARS
THE PERIOD WILL BE MOSTLY DRY...EXCEPT FOR TUESDAY NIGHT INTO
WEDNESDAY...AS THE MRF HAS BEEN CONSISTENT IN BRINGING DOWN A SHORT
WAVE THROUGH THE REGION FOR A CHANCE OF SNOW. TEMPS WILL MODERATE
DURING THE WEEK BUT WILL GENERALLY BE BELOW NORMAL...EVENTUALLY
GETTING BACK TO NEAR SEASONAL LEVELS BY THURSDAY. CURRENT FORECAST
HANDLES THIS WELL...AND THUS WILL NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES. JPV
.CCF NUMBERS
GTF NS 058/015 015/903 010 081+8
CBBEB 908/022 008/032 012/028 008/032 008 32110022211
CTB NS 055/010 010/908 007 081+7
CBBEB 912/018 002/028 010/025 005/030 005 32110022211
HLN NS 059/028 028/010 017 08176
CBBEB 002/020 008/030 010/032 008/035 008 32211122211
BZN CS 051/026 030/000 018 08167
JBBEB 905/018 005/026 007/030 004/031 004 33211122211
WEY CS 037/018 032/907 020 08178
JJBJB 914/012 913/018 910/018 916/020 916 53251122211
DLN ES 050/028 034/008 024 08146
JBBEB 902/023 003/030 008/028 008/032 008 32111111111
HVR NS 058/016 016/905 012 08175
EBBEB 912/021 005/030 012/028 007/031 007 22110122211
LWT NS 054/020 020/903 008 081+8
JBBEB 910/021 004/032 010/027 006/032 006 32110122211
.TFX...HIGH WIND WARNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR CENTRAL MONTANA.
BLIZZARD WARNING THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON FOR THE ROCKY
MOUNTAIN FRONT.
WINTER STORM WATCH TONIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY FOR CASCADE...
JUDITH BASIN...FERGUS COUNTIES.LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
504 AM MST FRI FEB 22 2002
TIME(MST) .....EVENT LOCATION..... ST ...EVENT/REMARKS...........
.....COUNTY LOCATION.....
0324 PM CUTBANK MT NON TSTM WIND 58 MPH
02/21/02 GLACIER
0425 PM BROWNING MT NON TSTM WIND 63 MPH
02/21/02 GLACIER
0430 PM GREAT FALLS MT NON TSTM WIND 59 MPH
02/21/02 CASCADE KRTV TELEVISION STATION
0455 PM BROWNING MT NON TSTM WIND 63 MPH
02/21/02 GLACIER
0458 PM CUTBANK MT NON TSTM WIND 64 MPH
02/21/02 GLACIER
0635 PM 1 E GREAT FALLS MT NON TSTM WIND 48 MPH
02/21/02 CASCADE
0713 PM GREAT FALLS MT NON TSTM WIND 46 MPH
02/21/02 CASCADE
1025 PM 4 W AUGUSTA MT NON TSTM WIND 75 MPH
02/21/02 LEWIS AND CLARK
1110 PM 18 W PENDROY MT NON TSTM WIND 100 MPH
02/21/02 TETON GUST ESTIMATED AND POWER IS
OUT
1145 PM CHOTEAU MT NON TSTM WIND 55 MPH
02/21/02 TETON SUSTAINED 50 TO 55 MPH
0453 AM SILVER CITY MT NON TSTM WIND 60 MPH
02/22/02 LEWIS AND CLARK
NNNN2 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard conditions occurred over the Rocky Mountain Front between the 23rd and 24th, due to very strong winds and heavy snowfall. Total snow accumulations were generally between 12 and 24 inches in the higher elevations.
Blizzard conditions occurred over the Rocky Mountain Front between the 23rd and 24th, due to very strong winds and heavy snowfall. Total snow accumulations were generally between 12 and 24 inches in the higher elevations.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2002Every state in 2002This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2002
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: 5282765, 5282766.