Winter Storm in Montana, December 29 to 30, 2004

Name: Winter Storm in Montana, December 29 to 30, 2004
Start: 2004-12-29T18:00
End: 2004-12-30T12:00
Location: Montana

December 29 to 30, 2004 · NWS TFX · 9 events in 9 counties and zones

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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.

A winter storm brought heavy snow to a large area of North Central and Southwest Montana from the evening hours of the 29th through midday on the 30th. Reported snow fall amounts include: 13 inches at Rimini, 12 inches at Ennis 15NW, 10 inches at Bozeman 17NE, Norris 14W and Jefferson City, 9 inches at West Yellowstone 5SW, 8 inches at Jefferson City 9W, Lakeview 2SW and Townsend 18ENE. 6 inch snow falls were reported at Lewistown 22S, Neihart 7S, Great Falls, Lincoln 7NE, White Sulphur Springs 32NW, Hobson 3S and Great Falls 9S. In addition to the heavy snow, gusty winds caused widespread blowing and drifting 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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 29, 3:00 PM MST, 3 hours earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 29, 3:00 PM MST, 3 hours before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MONTANA
300 PM MST WED DEC 29 2004

.DISCUSSION...

TONIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...SUCCESSIVE ETA RUNS CONTINUE TO GET CLOSER
TO WHAT THE GFS HAS BEEN ADVERTISING FOR AT LEAST A DAY. THAT IS
EXPECT A CLOSED UPPER LOW AND SURFACE LOW OVER SE MT COME 12Z THU
MORNING. LATEST 18Z ETA RUNS NOW HITS THE PLAINS WITH HIGHER QPF
AMOUNTS. IN LINE WITH THIS WILL HAVE A SNOW/BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY
FOR NORTHERN AREAS EAST OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT FOR LATE TONIGHT
INTO THURSDAY. NOW LOOKS LIKE SW MT MIGHT NOT RECEIVE AS MUCH SNOW
AS EARLIER THOUGHT. WILL CONTINUE WITH HIGHLIGHTS FOR THAT AREA WITH
THIS FORECAST PACKAGE BUT EVENING SHIFT MIGHT HAVE TO RECONSIDER
THEM. SYSTEM MENTIONED ABOVE WILL HELP DRAW DOWN ARCTIC AIR FROM
CANADA WHICH WILL LINGER WELL BEYOND THIS PERIOD. AS UPPER AND
SURFACE LOWS MOVE EAST ON THURSDAY EXPECT THE SNOW TO DIMINISH AND
END. FOR THURSDAY NIGHT AND FRIDAY EXPECT MORE SHORTWAVE ACTIVITY.
ETA/GFS ARE AT ODDS THURSDAY NIGHT IN THAT GFS HAS A FAIRLY
SUBSTANTIAL SHORTWAVE MOVING NE THROUGH THE AREA AND PRODUCES MORE
QPF. ETA APPARENTLY HAS A MUCH WEAKER FEATURE MOVING THROUGH LATER
THAN THE ETA AND IS DRY EXCEPT FOR THE MOUNTAINS. HAVE DECIDED TO
LEAVE IN CHANCE POPS FOR THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. ON FRIDAY ETA AND GFS
ARE IN BETTER AGREEMENT IN MOVING A SIGNIFICANT SHORTWAVE THROUGH
THE AREA. LIKE INHERITED FORECAST OF LIKELY POPS FOR THE EAST SLOPES
AND MOUNTAINS AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THEM. BLANK

FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN IN STORE FOR
FRIDAY NIGHT AND INTO THE WEEKEND. FLOW ALOFT WILL REMAIN
SOUTHWESTERLY THROUGH THE SUNDAY AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK.

THE COLD AIR CONTINUES TO POUR INTO THE STATE SATURDAY. NOT
EXPECTING ANY MORE BIG SNOW PRODUCERS AFTER FRIDAYS SYSTEM BUT WITH
THE ARCTIC AIR IN PLACE AND WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT SOME LIGHT SNOW CAN
STILL BE SQUEEZE OUT. THEREFORE HAVE BROADBRUSHED LOW POPS FOR THE
WEEKEND AND INTO EARLY NEXT WEEK. THE ARCTIC AIR WILL REMAIN OVER
THE REGION THROUGH MID WEEK. TEMPERATURES ALONG THE HIGH LINE WILL
DROP BELOW ZERO AND REMAIN THERE UNTIL MONDAY OR TUESDAY.  NO MAJOR
WEATHER SYSTEM ON THE HORIZON TO KICK OUT THE ARCTIC AND THUS HAVE
KEPT TEMPERATURES WELL BELOW NORMAL INTO MID NEXT WEEK. MEIER

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
GTF SS 022/023 005/008 906 04863
    EEEBB 003/915 004/910 005/909 008/907 008 63222222111
CTB SS 014/014 905/001 910 04663
    IIIBB 902/918 902/915 902/913 001/911 004 6322222211-
HLN SS 022/031 010/015 005 04954
    EEEEB 010/902 009/002 012/902 015/000 015 63322222111
BZN SS 022/033 011/023 005 04964
    EEEEB 016/903 010/001 016/907 017/905 017 53222222111
WEY SS 021/030 013/024 004 04+97
    EEEEE 016/002 015/911 009/908 009/906 009 75434333222
DLN SS 021/034 014/025 009 04965
    EEEEE 021/007 018/009 023/008 023/010 023 53222222221
HVR SC 013/013 000/006 910 04873
    IIIBB 902/920 903/917 902/911 001/909 004 43222222110
LWT SS 024/028 005/010 904 04994
    EEEBB 004/910 006/908 005/905 009/903 009 6422222211-

&&

.TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
...WINTER STORM WARNING ABOVE 6000 FEET SOUTHWEST MONTANA (ZONES
8/14/15/52/53/54/55) WITH A SNOW ADVISORY BELOW 6000 FEET FOR THE
SAME AREA TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
...WINTER STORM WARNING ALL ELEVATIONS CENTRAL MONTANA (ZONES
12/50/51) TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.
...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR A PORTION NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA (ZONES 10/44/45/46/49/13) LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY
MORNING.
...SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY FOR A PORTION OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA (ZONES 11/47) LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
&&

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 29, 10:45 AM MST, 7 hours 15 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
1045 AM MST WED DEC 29 2004

MTZ008-014-015-052-053>055-301240-
BEAVERHEAD-BROADWATER-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-GALLATIN-
JEFFERSON-MADISON-MEAGHER-
1045 AM MST WED DEC 29 2004

UPDATED

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR SOUTHWEST MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST WILL EJECT A
DISTURBANCE INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO BOTH THE VALLEYS AND THE MOUNTAIN AREAS INTO
THURSDAY. REFER TO THE SNOW ADVISORY FOR THE VALLEYS AND THE WINTER
STORM WARNING FOR THE MOUNTAINS AT GTFWSWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE SNOW ADVISORY AND WINTER STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE INTO
THURSDAY MORNING...WITH THE DISTURBANCE EXITING THE STATE THURSDAY
AFTERNOON. REFER TO GTFWSWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

MORE DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE WEST TO EAST OVER MONTANA FRIDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY...KEEPING AT LEAST A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER SOUTHWEST MONTANA.
COLDER CANADIAN AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BEGINNING TONIGHT...WITH
THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRING SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. DURING
THAT PERIOD...DAYTIME HIGHS WILL ONLY REACH INTO THE TEENS TO LOWER
20S IN SOUTHWEST MONTANA...WHILE LOW TEMPERATURES WILL DROP INTO THE
SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ012-050-051-301240-
CASCADE-FERGUS-JUDITH BASIN-
1045 AM MST WED DEC 29 2004

UPDATED

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PARTS OF CENTRAL MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST WILL EJECT A
DISTURBANCE INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...BRINGING
SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE PLAINS AND MOUNTAIN AREAS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY. REFER TO THE WINTER STORM WARNING AT
GTFWSWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE WINTER STORM WARNING WILL CONTINUE INTO THURSDAY MORNING...WITH
THE DISTURBANCE EXITING THE STATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON. REFER TO
GTFWSWTFX FOR FURTHER DETAILS.

MORE DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE WEST TO EAST OVER MONTANA FRIDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY...KEEPING AT LEAST A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER CENTRAL MONTANA.
COLDER CANADIAN AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BEGINNING TONIGHT...WITH
THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRING SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY. DURING
THAT PERIOD...DAYTIME HIGHS WILL ONLY REACH INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS
ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA...WHILE LOW
TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW ZERO.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

MTZ009>011-013-044>049-301240-
BLAINE-CHOUTEAU-EASTERN GLACIER-EASTERN PONDERA-EASTERN TETON-HILL-
LIBERTY-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-
TOOLE-
1045 AM MST WED DEC 29 2004

UPDATED

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

.DAY ONE...TODAY

AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST WILL EJECT A
DISTURBANCE INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA LATE THIS AFTERNOON...POSSIBLY
BRINGING SIGNIFICANT SNOWFALL TO THE MOUNTAIN AREAS OF NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA TONIGHT INTO THURSDAY.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

MORE DISTURBANCES WILL MOVE WEST TO EAST OVER MONTANA FRIDAY THROUGH
TUESDAY...KEEPING AT LEAST A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA. COLDER CANADIAN AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA BEGINNING
TONIGHT...WITH THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES OCCURRING SATURDAY
THROUGH MONDAY. DURING THAT PERIOD...DAYTIME HIGHS WILL ONLY REACH
INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW ZERO ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL
MONTANA...WHILE LOW TEMPERATURES WILL DROP TO 10 TO 20 DEGREES BELOW
ZERO.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

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

Event by event

9 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Cascade

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Winter Storm, Judith Basin

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Judith Basin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Fergus

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Fergus forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Meagher

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Meagher forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Broadwater

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Broadwater forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Jefferson

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Jefferson forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Gallatin

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Gallatin forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Madison

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Madison forecast zone
Reported by: TRAINED SPOTTER

Winter Storm, Beaverhead

When: December 29, 6:00 PM MST to December 30, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Beaverhead 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

Every storm in Montana in 2004 Every state in 2004 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, December 2004

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: 5428413, 5428414, 5428415, 5428416, 5428417, 5428418, 5428710, 5428711, 5428712.