Heavy Snow in Montana, March 5, 2002

Name: Heavy Snow in Montana, March 5, 2002
Start: 2002-03-05T01:00
End: 2002-03-05T14:00
Location: Montana

March 5, 2002 · NWS GGW · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong and moist winter storm brought heavy snow to portions of northeast Montana. The Port of Morgan reported the highest snow total with 10 inches, Malta reported 9 inches, Opheim had 8 inches and Scobey received 6 inches of snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

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 happened

The episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.

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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 4, 8:35 PM MST, 4 hours 25 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 8:35 PM MST, 4 hours 25 minutes before

NORTHEAST MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT
835 PM MST MON MAR 4 2002

UPDATES PLANNED.

.SHORT TERM...STATIONARY FRONT LOCATED JUST SOUTH OF HAVRE...
MALTA...GLASGOW AND GLENDIVE THIS EVENING SEPARATING TEMPERATURES
FROM NEAR 40 SOUTH AT WINNETT TO 15 ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER. EAST
TO NORTHEAST WINDS 15-20 MPH HAVE DEVELOPED NORTH OF THE BOUNDARY
THIS EVENING. THIS WIND IS A RESULT OF A STRENGTHENING  SURFACE
GRADIENT COMBINED WITH LOCAL TERRAIN EFFECTS LIKE THE MILK VALLEY
THAT ACCELERATE EAST WINDS. RADAR SHOWS SCATTERED SHOWERS OVER
WESTERN HALF OF FORECAST AREA AT 03Z.

BOTH THE ETA AND AVN ARE FORECASTING CYCLOGENESIS EITHER ALONG THE
ROCKY MONTAIN FRONT OF ALBERTA LATE TONIGHT WHILE THE ETA HAS
ANOTHER AREA OF CYCLOGENESIS OVER CENTRAL MONTANA. BOTH MODELS
EVENTUALLY HAVE THE PRIMARY LOW MOVING THROUGH EASTERN MONTANA ALONG
SOUTHERN BOUNDARY OF THE FORECAST AREA TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WHILE BOTH
MODELS TRACK THE LOW OVER THE SAME AREA...AVN HAS THE FRONTAL
BOUNDARY FURTHER NORTH THAN THE ETA. ETA LOOKS MORE REALISTIC HAVING
THE FRONT ALONG THE LOW TRACK. ALSO LAST NIGHTS ETA DID VERY WELL IN
FORECASTING THE LOCATION AT THIS TIME.

UPDATES TO FORECAST INCLUDE TONIGHTS HIGHER WINDS NORTH OF THE
MISSOURI RIVER...LOWER TONIGHT LOWS AND TUESDAYS HIGHS ALONG THE
CANADIAN BORDER. GIVEN ETA FORECAST OF COLD AIR ADVECTION DROPPING
850 MB TEMPERATURE TO -19C BY 21Z TUE ALONG CANADIAN BORDER...HIGHS
OF 25 TO 30 NO LONGER LOOK REALISTIC. FOR THE SAME 21Z TIME ON
TUE...THE ETA HAS A +3C 850 TEMP FORECASTED AT WINNETT. WILL ALSO
ADD A FEW DEGREES TO WINNETT HIGH FOR TUE. FORRESTER

.LONG TERM...AVN/MRF MOST CONSISTENT OF THE MEDIUM RANGE MODELS.
ZONAL FLOW GIVES WAY TO A TROUGH DIGGING ALONG THE WEST COAST DAY
5/6...WHICH MAY BE OVER DONE.  HOWEVER EXPECT TO HAVE SOME FORM OF
PACIFIC SOURCE REGION PUMPING WARMTH AND MOISTURE INTO THE REGION.
MODELS MAY HAVE OVERDONE THE PRECIP IN THE OUT PERIODS SO HAVE
TRIMMED FOR NOW.  POPS CAN BE REVISED AS ATTAIN A BETTER HANDLE ON
THE TROUGH PATTERN.  GENERAL FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO KEEP REALLY COLD
AIR IN CANADA WITH SOME OCCASIONAL LEAKAGE INTO THE CWA.  PATTERN
APPEARS WEAKER THAN THAT SEEN IN THE PAST WEEK.  MCNULTY

KGGW EEE 017/030 000/008 907/013 79443244
     EBBB 907/010 001/016 005/025 011/033 8144221111
KGDV EEE 020/033 003/010 903/015 79434243
     EBBB 902/013 003/019 008/028 013/037 8144221111

.GGW...NONE.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Central and Se Phillips

When: March 5, 1:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where: Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Daniels

When: March 5, 1:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Daniels forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

6 inches of snow reported at Scobey.

Heavy Snow, Northern Phillips

When: March 5, 1:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Phillips forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

10 inches of snow reported at Port of Morgan.

Heavy Snow, Northern Valley

When: March 5, 1:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Northern Valley forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates: 48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

8 inches of snow reported at Opheim.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2002 Every state in 2002 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, March 2002

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: 5281344, 5281345, 5281346, 5281347.