Montana, 2003

Winter Storm in Montana, November 23 to 24, 2003

November 23 to 24, 2003 · NWS MSO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

Winter storm spread heavy snow and gusty winds over northwest Montana and the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. Snowfall totals ranged from 6 inches at the lower elevations, with up to one foot in the mountains.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 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
5

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.

Winter storm spread heavy snow and gusty winds over northwest Montana and the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains. Snowfall totals ranged from 6 inches at the lower elevations, with up to one foot in the mountains. Occasional wind gust between 30 to 35 MPH caused areas of blowing and drifting of snow.

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 Nov 23, 2:10 PM MST, 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 23, 2:10 PM MST, 50 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 23, 3:00 PM MST, 0 minutes before
<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When
November 23, 3:00 PM MST to November 24, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Glacier Region

When
November 23, 3:00 PM MST to November 24, 5:00 PM 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)

Winter Storm, Lower Clark Fork Region

When
November 23, 3:00 PM MST to November 24, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When
November 23, 3:00 PM MST to November 24, 5:00 PM 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)

Winter Storm, Blackfoot Region

When
November 23, 3:00 PM MST to November 24, 5:00 PM MST
Where
Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by
DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
Coordinates
46.986, -113.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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, November 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: 5331496, 5331497, 5331498, 5331602, 5331603.