Montana, 2002Winter Storm in Montana, March 19 to 20, 2002
March 19 to 20, 2002 · NWS TFX · 7 events in 7 counties and zones
7 winter storm, as filed by the National Weather Service.
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 7
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 19, 3:00 PM MST, 0 minutes earlier.
Area forecast discussion, Mar 19, 3:00 PM MST, 0 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
300 PM MST TUE MAR 19 2002
.SHORT TERM...STRONG JET STREAKS OVER CNTRL MT TONIGHT BRINGING
ABUNDANT MOISTURE FOR OVER-RUNNING SNOWS IN THE ARCTIC AIRMASS.
ISENTROPIC ANALYSIS INDICATES A WIDE AREA OF MOIST UPLIFT TONIGHT...
WITH ETA/AVN MODELS INDICATING ABUNDANT QPF. ACTUAL QPF:FORECAST QPF
HAS BEEN RUNNING AT ABOUT A 1:3 RATIO AT GTF FOR THE LAST 12 HOURS.
ASSUMING A 30:1 SNOW:WATER RATIO AND REDUCING MODEL QPF BY A THIRD
SUGGESTS ABOUT 6 INCHES ACCUMULATION AT GTF OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
WILL THEREFORE KEEP OUT AN ADVISORY FOR THE PLAINS...AND HAVE DECIDED
TO EXPAND THE WINTER STORM WARNING INTO THE LITTLE BELT MOUNTAINS.
ARCTIC HIGH IS REINFORCED FROM THE NORTH TOMORROW FOR COOLER
TEMPERATURES...THEN SLIDES OUT OF THE AREA BY FRIDAY. AT THE SAME
TIME...UPPER LEVEL FLOW BEGINS TO RIDGE OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES.
EXPECT IMPRESSIVE WARMING TO DEVELOP THURSDAY AND FRIDAY...WITH
TEMPERATURES BACK INTO THE 30S OR 40S BY THE WEEKEND.
.EXTENDED...UPPER LOW OFF THE PAC NW COAST EARLY SAT IS FORECAST TO
MOVE INTO THE SW U.S. BY EARLY NEXT WEEK THEN CONTINUE MOVING E.
ECMWF FOLLOWS A SIMILAR TREND BUT IS A LITTLE FASTER WITH THE SW
U.S. LOW. WHAT THIS DOES IS LEAVE THE FORECAST AREA IN WEAK FLOW
ALOFT WITH NOT MUCH DYNAMICS. AIRMASS MAY BE CONTINUE TO BE QUITE
MOIST THOUGH. AS FOR PRECIPITATION WILL GO WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW FOR
THE NRN ZONES FRIDAY NIGHT ASSOCIATED WITH A SHORTWAVE. WILL LEAVE IN
CHANCE TO SLIGHT CHANCE POPS FOR THE SRN ZONES SAT INTO MON AS THIS
AREA WILL BE CLOSER TO SW U.S. UPPER LOW AND ITS ASSOCIATED
MOISTURE. OTHERWISE OVER THE PLAINS WILL GO WITH MOSTLY CLOUDY
SKIES BUT LEAVE OUT MENTION OF PRECIPITATION. DO NOT DOUBT THERE
COULD BE A LITTLE LIGHT SNOW OR FLURRIES FROM TIME TO TIME BUT THE
THREAT OF MEASURABLE SNOW APPEARS SMALL. LAST NIGHTS MRF BROUGHT A
SHORTWAVE FROM CANADA OVER THE AREA ON TUE BUT 12Z AVN EXTENSION
HAS BACKED OFF ON THIS. AS FOR TEMPERATURES...MODELS INDICATE THAT
UPSLOPE FLOW WILL CONTINUE AND CONCERNED THAT SNOW COVER WILL
CONTINUE TO AFFECT TEMPERATURES. WILL UNDERCUT MRF FORECAST
TEMPERATURES QUITE A BIT. BLANK
.CCF NUMBERS
GTF SE 002/007 902/022 008 14+83
EEEEE 038/015 033/015 032/015 032/015 032 11131111111
CTB SE 904/004 910/016 004 14+72
EEEEE 033/012 030/012 030/012 028/012 028 11131111111
HLN SE 009/018 003/026 008 14885
EEEEE 038/015 036/015 037/015 037/012 037 11111222111
BZN JE 022/030 013/030 010 14674
EEEEE 036/005 035/010 035/010 035/010 035 21113222111
WEY JE 010/026 010/028 008 14554
EEEEE 028/910 028/000 028/000 028/000 028 21114333211
DLN JE 021/035 015/037 018 14343
EEEEE 040/015 040/015 040/015 038/015 038 11112222111
HVR SB 901/005 908/018 000 14862
EEEEE 033/010 030/010 030/010 030/010 030 11131111111
LWT SB 001/008 905/020 005 14874
EEEEE 035/010 035/012 034/012 034/012 034 11131111111=
.TFX...WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY.
WINTER STORM WARNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
CASCADE...MEAGHER AND JUDITH BASIN COUNTIES.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR MOST OF CENTRAL
AND NORTH-CENTRAL MONTANA.Winter Storm, North Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Southern Rocky Mountain Front
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Southern Lewis and Clark
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Cascade
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Cascade forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Judith Basin
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Judith Basin forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Fergus
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Fergus forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
Winter Storm, Meagher
- When
- March 19, 3:00 PM MST to March 20, 12:00 PM MST
- Where
- Meagher forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
An area of heavy snow fell across the Rocky Mountain Front, and portions of Central Montana on the 19th and 20th. The snow began to fall over the Rocky Mountain Front on the afternoon of the 19th and then moved into Central Montana early on the 20th. The snow was heavy at times, with visibilities less than one half mile at times. Emergency travel only was in effect on some roads in the Helena area.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event: 26 inches at East Glacier; 20 to 30 inches at the Great Divide Ski Resort in Lewis and Clark County; 20 to 24 inches at Showdown Ski Resort in Meagher County; 13 inches at Lewistown 10 E; and 6 to 8 inches across the plains of Cascade, Judith Basin, and Fergus counties, along with the Rocky Mountain Front.
- 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.
- Tornadoes and Hail in Texas, March 19, 200240 injured · $7.1 million · F2 · 10 events
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, March 19 to 20, 20021 death · $269,000 · 1 in hail · 34 events
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, March 19, 200215 injured · $650,000 · F1 · 5 events
- Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Texas, March 19, 2002$16 million · F1 · 17 events
- Damaging Winds in Texas, March 19, 20022 injured · $600,000 · 59 kt wind · 2 events
- Tornado and Hail in Texas, March 19, 20021 injured · $650,000 · F0 · 5 events
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 19, 2002$600,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 19, 2002$300,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Winds in Texas, March 19, 2002$250,000 · 57 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Winds in Texas, March 19, 2002$200,000 · 50 kt wind · 2 events
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 19, 2002$200,000 · 1 event
- Damaging Wind in Texas, March 19, 2002$150,000 · 1 event
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: 5287343, 5287344, 5287345, 5287457, 5287458, 5287459, 5287460.