Montana, 2003

Winter Storm in Montana, March 7 to 8, 2003

March 7 to 8, 2003 · NWS TFX · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

Very heavy snow fell in the Helena Valley, and the nearby mountains on the 7th. Snowfall rates were 2 to 3 inches per hour for 12 hours.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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 TFX wrote it up.

Very heavy snow fell in the Helena Valley, and the nearby mountains on the 7th. Snowfall rates were 2 to 3 inches per hour for 12 hours. The heaviest snow fell in the mountains just west of Helena.In the city of Helena, snow amounts ranged from 18 inches on the East side, to 30 inches on the West side. Many roads were closed Friday afternoon and evening.Here is a list of some of the snowfall reported:32 inches at Marysville 8W; 30 inches at Helena 1W; 18 inches at Helena 3E; 11 inches at Clancy 3NW; and 7 inches at White Sulphur Springs 32NW.

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 7, 9:55 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 7, 9:55 AM MST, 5 minutes before
SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
955 AM MST FRI MAR 7 2003

.SHORT TERM...WILL UPDATE ZONES AND STATE. COLD AIR CONTINUES TO
MOVE OVER NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. WILL DROP THE HIGH TEMPERATURES FOR
TODAY. UPSLOPE WINDS AND SNOW ARE HANDLED WELL IN PREVIOUS
FORECAST. SNOW BANDS CONTINUE OVER LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY SO WILL
EXPAND THE WINTER STORM WARNING TO INCLUDE ALL OF LEWIS AND CLARK
COUNTY AND ISSUE A NEW WINTER STORM WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS OF
FOR THE ALL OF SW MONTANA EXCEPT BEAVERHEAD COUNTY. WINDS HAVE
PICKED UP IN THE FAVORED CANYONS AND PASSES IN SW MONTANA SO WILL
MENTION BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITIES IN ZONES AS WELL AS
WARNINGS. CAMP

.EXTENDED...SPRINGTIME WEATHER IS ON THE HORIZON AS UPPER RIDGE
BUILDS OVER THE WESTERN U.S. DURING THE PERIOD. ONLY POTENTIAL
TROUBLE SPOT IS ON MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY AS A SYSTEM RIDES OVER
THE RIDGE THRU CENTRAL ALBERTA AND SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. BUT SYSTEM
IS TOO FAR FROM CWA TO BE OF CONCERN RIGHT NOW. POMEROY

.CCF NUMBERS
GTF SC 004/908 010/004 028 04863
    CEEEB 014/041 015/043 026/051 030/057 032 33322000000
CTB SC 902/914 005/904 023 04663
    CEENB 014/041 012/037 025/049 028/050 030 33322000000
HLN SC 015/008 020/011 032 04++6
    CEEEB 015/036 019/041 022/049 028/052 029 33442000000
BZN SC 031/013 024/008 032 04884
    CEEBB 014/036 018/041 021/046 027/051 024 43442000000
WEY SS 031/015 029/010 033 04886
    CEEEB 018/029 020/034 023/040 025/044 021 43422220000
DLN SC 040/025 040/024 042 04663
    CEEBB 019/034 018/038 021/048 027/051 030 33552000000
HVR SC 002/912 004/908 015 04662
    CEEEB 014/036 011/033 017/043 028/049 030 23322000000
LWT SC 008/907 010/002 027 04863
    CEEEB 014/035 016/042 024/047 028/055 029 23322000000

.TFX...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR THE
       ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTY (ZONES
       9/48/14)
    ...SNOW ADVISORY TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR BROADWATER...
       JEFFERSON/MEAGHER/GALLATIN COUNTIES (ZONES 52>55)
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING TODAY AND TONIGHT FOR THE MOUNTAINS
       OF BROADWATER/JEFFERSON/MEAGHER/GALLATIN COUNTIES
Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 7, 8:15 AM MST, 1 hour 45 minutes before
MTZ008>015-044>055-080110-
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
815 AM MST FRI MAR 7 2003

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST
MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

A MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WITH A VERY COLD AIRMASS AT THE SURFACE
WILL CONTINUE THE OVERRUNNING SNOWFALL OVER NORTH CENTRAL AND
SOUTHWEST MONTANA TODAY. THEREFORE...THE WINTER STORM WARNING FOR
THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND THE MOUNTAINS OF CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN
LEWIS AND CLARK COUNTIES HAS BEEN EXTENDED THROUGH TONIGHT. A WINTER
WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS ALSO IN EFFECT FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT
ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA. PLEASE REFER TO THE WINTER STORM WARNING
STATEMENT ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GREAT FALLS
/WWUS45 KTFX WSWTFX/ FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

SNOWFALL WILL BEGIN TO DECREASE ON SATURDAY AND SUNDAY...WITH DRYING
AND WARMING CONDITIONS EXPECTED FOR NEXT WEEK.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Southern Lewis and Clark

When
March 7, 10:00 AM MST to March 8, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Meagher

When
March 7, 12:00 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where
Meagher forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When
March 7, 1:00 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where
Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER

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 2003Every state in 2003This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5345032, 5345031, 5345030.