Name: Winter Storm in Montana, March 5 to 6, 2002
Start: 2002-03-05T00:00
End: 2002-03-06T22:00
Location: Montana

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 4, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 4, 8:30 PM MST, 3 hours 30 minutes before

SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
830 PM MST MON MAR 4 2002

.SHORT TERM...UPDATES PLANNED BY 930...SURFACE TROF LAYING ACROSS
LWT-GTF-CHOTEAU LINE. WILL HAVE TO LOWER MOST TEMPS CENTRAL AND
NORTHERN CWA. FAIRLY WEAK SURFACE WINDS TO THE NORTH AND MAINLY
ZONAL FLOW ALOFT BUT WILL STILL EXPECT LOW CEILINGS AS COOLER AIR
MOVES IN. TEMP/DEWPOINT SPREAD QUITE NARROW TO THE NORTH SO WILL ADD
MENTION OF FOG AS WELL AS SOME CHANCE OF PRECIP. AND COLDEST AIR
STILL DUE DURING THE DAY TUESDAY.

.EXTENDED...AN UPPER LEVEL TROF IS OVER THE STATE FRIDAY WITH COLD
CANADIAN AIR AT THE SURFACE. MOST OF THE COLD ADVECTION SHOULD BE
FINISHED ALLOWING FOR ONLY PARTIAL CLOUD COVER...AND COLD OVERNIGHT
TEMPS. THE RIDGE BUILDS THRU SUNDAY ALTHOUGH TEMP RECOVER MAY BE
SLOWED BY SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE TO THE EAST. BY MONDAY ANOTHER
SHORTWAVE APPROACHES AND SURFACE WINDS SHOULD AGAIN BE STRONG FROM
THE SOUTHWEST. PREVIOUS MRF RUN IS QUITE SIMILAR TO THE CURRENT RUN.
HOWEVER...THE CURRENT VERSION GRADUALLY SLOWS MOVEMENT OF SYSTEMS
DOWN UNTIL BY 12Z SUN A RIDGE IS OVER THE ROCKIES INSTEAD OF A
TROF...THUS THE LAST TWO DAYS OF THE EXTENDED HAVE LOWER CONFIDENCE.
ZELZER

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF ES 022/030 005/012 905 08457
    JJEBE 014/906 014/005 025/010 038/022 048 64343211122
CTB JJ 022/028 000/008 910 08773
    JJEBE 012/908 014/003 022/010 035/018 048 43343211122
HLN ES 030/040 015/022 008 08226
    JJEBE 020/002 019/012 034/010 038/022 046 64455211122
BZN ES 018/036 014/026 005 08027
    JJBBJ 018/000 015/005 018/005 025/018 033 75555221122
WEY ES 905/025 000/018 912 08126
    SJBBJ 010/915 010/910 010/905 020/005 030 75566331133
DLN ES 017/037 014/030 007 08026
    JJBBJ 024/000 015/005 018/005 025/018 033 64455221122
HVR JJ 015/030 003/008 910 08754
    JJEBE 008/905 011/905 005/007 028/017 048 44443211122
LWT JS 022/038 010/014 905 08447
    JJEBE 013/906 014/005 024/010 035/020 045 75543211122

.TFX...NONE.

Event by event

6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

Winter Storm, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

Winter Storm, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

Winter Storm, Beaverhead

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Beaverhead forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

Winter Storm, Madison

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

Winter Storm, Gallatin

When: March 5, 12:00 AM MST to March 6, 10:00 PM MST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Heavy snow developed over the Rocky Mountain Front early on the 5th, and then moved into Southwest Montana throughout the day. The snow continued to fall through the evening hours of the 6th. Total snow accumulations generally ranged from 6 to 8 inches over Southwest Montana, to 10 to 20 inches over the Rocky Mountain Front. Emergency travel only was advised over the Northern Rocky Mountain Front during much of this time.Here is a list of some of the total snow accumulations from this event:: St. Mary 16 inches; Great Divide Sky Resort 15 inches; East Glacier Ranger Station 12 inches; Wise River 8 inches; Maudlow 9 SE 8 inches; and Silver Star 7 inches.

What these are

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.

The same day elsewhere

More

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: 5286993, 5286994, 5286995, 5287114, 5287115, 5287116.