Heavy Snow in Montana, February 1 to 2, 2003

Name: Heavy Snow in Montana, February 1 to 2, 2003
Start: 2003-02-01T07:00
End: 2003-02-02T07:00
Location: Montana

February 1 to 2, 2003 · NWS MSO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

Winter storm brought heavy wet snow to the mountains of western Montana. Snowfall amounts ranged from 8 inches at Warm Springs,9 inches at Stuart Mountain, 11 inches at Lolo Hot Springs and Peterson Meadows, to a foot at Snowbowl and Lost Trail Ski Resorts.

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 MSO 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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 1, 4:00 AM MST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 1, 4:00 AM MST, 3 hours before

WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
400 AM MST SAT FEB 1 2003

.SHORT TERM...THE PACIFIC MOISTURE TRAIN REMAINS PARKED OVER NC
ID/WC MT THIS MORNING. SNOW LEVELS HAVE STARTED TO FALL ACROSS THE
NORTH BUT REMAIN FAIRLY HIGH OVER THE SOUTH. A WAVE IS FORMING
ALONG THE BAROCLINIC BAND JUST OFF THE SW COAST OF OREGON WHICH WILL
HELP TO FINALLY SHOVE THIS MESS OUT OF HERE. AS THE BAROCLINIC BAND
SAGS SE THROUGH THE MORNING IT WILL DRAG THE BAND OF HEAVIEST
PRECIP WITH IT. MODELS SOUNDINGS SHOW SNOW LEVELS TO BE DOWN TO
VALLEY FLOORS IN THE NORTH BY 12Z AND LOW ENOUGH FOR SNOW OVER THE
SE PART OF THE CWA BY 15Z. FURTHER COMPLICATING THE SITUATION IS THAT
ENTRAINMENT AND EVAPORATIVE COOLING COULD LOWER SNOW LEVELS FURTHER
UNDER THE MAIN PRECIP BAND. THINK THE HEAVIEST PRECIP WILL FALL ABOVE
5000 FT IN THE NORTH AND 6000 FT IN THE SOUTH SO CURRENT WARNINGS
LOOK GOOD AND WILL CONTINUE THEM. WITH SNOW LEVELS FALLING AND LOW
LEVEL JET DYING OFF THUS KILLING THE DOWNSLOPING...WILL BE ISSUING AN
ADVISORY FOR THE VALLEYS OF BUTTE/PINTLAR REGION. WITH PRECIP
CONTINUING TO TRAIN OVER CLEARWATER AND IDAHO COUNTIES THROUGH THIS
MORNING WILL BE REISSUING NUMEROUS RIVER ADVISORIES.

BY 00Z SUN THE SFC BOUNDARY IS THROUGH MOST OF MY CWA BUT COLD POOL
ALOFT WILL BE MOVING IN FROM THE NW. LI/S FALL TO AROUND 0C AND LAPSE
RATES INCREASE TO 6.5-8C/KM THIS AFTERNOON. IN THAT SCENARIO WOULD
EXPECT AT LEAST SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS...ESP MTNS SO WILL BE LEANING
FCST IN THAT DIRECTION. ANY BREAKS OF SUN WOULD ONLY FURTHER
DESTABLIZE THE SITUATION SO WILL GO LIKELY FOR SHSN IN THE USUAL
POST-FRONTAL SPOTS. THINGS FINALLY QUIET DOWN CWA WIDE TONIGHT AS DRY
NW FLOW SETS IN.

MODELS HINTING AT SOME CONVECTIVE SHOWERS DEVELOPING SUN AFTERNOON
AND THE GFS EVEN HAS A WEAK WAVE MOVING THROUGH NW FLOW. CURRENT FCST
HAS IT COVERED WITH CHC POPS. NEXT WAVE DROPS SOUTH ALONG THE BC
COAST SUN NGT AND IS OVER NRN ROCKIES MON. PROGS SHOWING SOME LIGHT
QPF BOTH IN THE UPPER DIVERGENCE AHEAD OF THE WAVE AND IN THE ACTUAL
WAVE PASSAGE. IN FACT...BOTH GFS AND ETAX HAVE ENOUGH QPF FOR A FEW
INCHES OF SNOW MONDAY AND IT WILL BE WELL COLD ENOUGH FOR SNOW MOST
EVERYWHERE. WILL BE UPPING POPS TO CHC CATEGORY FOR MON. WRIGHT

.LONG TERM...A HIGH AMPLITUDE FLOW EXPECTED DURING THE PERIOD
WITH A RIDGE JUST OFF THE WEST COAST AND A NORTHERLY FLOW OVER THE
REGION. NOT MANY CHANGES PLANNED EXCEPT FOR COOLER TEMPS TUE/WED
AND ZERO POPS THU/FRI. MSJ

.MSO...WINTER STORM WARNING MTZ002-004-006-043-IDZ005-006 ABOVE 5000
        FEET THROUGH THIS MORNING.
       WINTER STORM WARNING IDZ009-010-MTZ007 ABOVE 6000 FEET THROUGH
        THIS AFTERNOON.
       WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MTZ007 BELOW 6000 FEET THROUGH
        THIS AFTERNOON.
       URBAN AND/OR SMALL STREAM FLOOD ADVISORY IDAHO AND CLEARWATER
        COUNTIES THROUGH THIS MORNING.

...7-DAY SPOT TEMPS AND POPS...
LIB EEE /040 028/038 021/033 3233223
     EBBB 016/033 015/032 017/034 020/036 020/ 35000000000
FCA EEE /039 024/034 018/029 3243222
     EBBB 014/028 012/028 013/030 014/032 014/ 35000000000
POL EEE /041 026/036 020/031 3243223
     EBBB 021/031 018/030 015/032 015/034 015/ 35000000000
MSO REE /040 027/037 020/030 3272323
     EBBB 018/029 015/029 015/031 015/033 015/ 35210000000
HMM REE /043 026/037 018/030 3273323
     EBBB 020/030 016/029 013/031 013/033 013/ 35210000000
BTM OCE /046 016/033 010/026 3293413
     EBBB 009/023 002/024 002/026 002/028 002/ 35231000000
ORO REE /049 034/045 031/042 3262013
     EBBB 030/042 027/041 028/043 029/045 029/ 35200000000
GRV REE /045 029/040 026/036 3272123
     EBBB 026/036 017/035 021/037 022/039 022/ 35210000000
SMN REE /045 021/032 014/026 3292214
     EBBB 016/025 009/024 006/026 006/028 006/ 35321000000

Hazardous weather outlook, Feb 1, 6:30 AM MST, 30 minutes before

MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-021300-

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
630 AM MST SAT FEB 1 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL IDAHO

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A WARM MOIST FRONTAL SYSTEM WILL IMPACT NORTH-CENTRAL IDAHO AND WEST-
CENTRAL MONTANA WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW AND VALLEY RAIN. COLDER AIR WILL
BE MOVING INTO THE REGION BEHIND THIS FRONTAL SYSTEM. SNOW LEVELS
HAVE ALREADY STARTED TO LOWER IN NORTHWEST MONTANA AND CLEARWATER
COUNTY THIS MORNING WITH SNOW DEVELOPING OVER THE MOUNTAIN PASSES.
SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH GUSTY WEST
WINDS RESULTING IN SOME BLOWING AND DRIFTING OF SNOW.

RECENT HEAVY RAINS IN IDAHO AND CLEARWATER COUNTIES DURING THE PAST
24 HOURS AND SUBSEQUENT SNOW MELT HAS RESULTED IN SMALL CREEK
FLOODING AND ROCK SLIDES IN NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO. CONDITIONS ARE
EXPECTED TO IMPROVE LATER TODAY. SEE GTFWSWMSO AND GTFFLSMSO FOR
FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

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, West Glacier Region

When: February 1, 7:00 AM MST to February 2, 7:00 AM MST
Where: West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Butte / Pintlar Region

When: February 1, 7:00 AM MST to February 2, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Butte / Pintlar Region forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When: February 1, 7:00 AM MST to February 2, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.508, -113.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Blackfoot Region

When: February 1, 7:00 AM MST to February 2, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 46.986, -113.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 2003 Every state in 2003 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2003

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5343038, 5343039, 5343040, 5343041.