Winter Storm in Montana, March 5 to 6, 2004

Name: Winter Storm in Montana, March 5 to 6, 2004
Start: 2004-03-05T16:00
End: 2004-03-06T10:00
Location: Montana

March 5 to 6, 2004 · NWS MSO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

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.

Last significant winter storm of the season brought heavy wet snow and strong gusty winds to western Montana. Snowfall totals ranged from 7 to 9 inches from 4300 feet to 5000 feet, and between 10 to 12 inches above 5000 feet in the mountains. Highest snowfall total recorded was 21 inches at Lost Trail Ski Resort. Gusty southwest winds of 30 to 40 MPH blew during the evening of March 5th, causing areas of blowing and drifting of snow. Local blizzard conditions occurred over Lookout Pass, causing several vehicle accidents on I-90. I-90 was temporarily closed in both directions due to poor weather conditions.

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 Mar 5, 1:45 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 5, 1:45 PM MST, 2 hours 15 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
145 PM MST FRI MAR 5 2004

.SHORT TERM...FAST MOVING UPPER LEVEL TROUGH IS MOVING THROUGH
WASHINGTON AT THIS TIME AND PRODUCING A GOOD SWATH OF PRECIPITATION
ACROSS EASTERN WASHINGTON AND THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. RAIN AND SNOW IS
BEGINNING TO MOVE INTO WESTERN MONTANA AND THE CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS
OF IDAHO. THE RAIN WILL TURN OVER TO SNOW ACROSS THE VALLEYS OF
MONTANA THIS EVENING. ALL HIGHLIGHTS LOOK TO BE ON TRACK FOR THIS
EVENING. HEAVIER SNOW WILL BE CONFINED TO THE MOUNTAINS AS STRONG
WINDS ALOFT WILL PRODUCE OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS...ESPECIALLY ON WEST
FACING SLOPES. LOCAL BLOWING SNOW IS ALSO POSSIBLE. THE COLD FRONT
WILL MOVE THROUGH WESTERN MONTANA THIS EVENING AND WINDS WILL SHIFT
FROM A SOUTHERLY TO A NORTHWESTERLY DIRECTION. THIS DISTURBANCE WILL
QUICKLY MOVE OUT OF THE AREA SATURDAY MORNING WITH A RIDGE BUILDING
IN FOR A SHORT TIME. SATURDAY LOOKS FAVORABLE FOR SNOW BANDS TO
DEVELOP ACROSS WESTERN MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO...WITH
ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATIONS UP TO 4 INCHES WHERE HEAVIER BANDS
DEVELOP...BUT THIS WILL BE VERY LOCALIZED. SATURDAY NIGHT THE RIDGE
BEGINS TO FLATTEN AS ANOTHER WEATHER DISTURBANCE NEARS THE BRITISH
COLUMBIA COAST. PRECIPITATION WILL DECREASE...ESPECIALLY IN THE
SOUTH.

.LONG TERM...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...OVERALL...AN UPPER-LEVEL TROUGH
BUILDS IN THE GULF OF ALASKA ON SUNDAY PRODUCING A BROAD UPPER-
LEVEL RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST.  THIS SHOULD PRODUCE A
DRYING AND WARMING TREND THROUGH TUESDAY. BY LATE TUESDAY THIS FLOW
BEGINS TO SPLIT INTO A SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN BRANCH.  WEAK
DISTURBANCES WITHIN THIS FLOW MAY PRODUCE MAINLY MOUNTAIN SNOW
THROUGH FRIDAY. IN ADDITION...THE JET STREAM BECOMES STRONGER AND
MORE WEST-TO-EAST ALIGNED BY FRIDAY BRINGING POSSIBILITY OF INCREASED
MOUNTAIN SNOW AND WINDS THAT DAY.
FINALLY...MODELS SHOWING SOME CHANGES IN THE PERIOD AFTER TUESDAY
FROM PREVIOUS RUNS. IN PARTICULAR...THE GFS MODEL IS DRIER THAN
PREVIOUS RUNS...SHUNTING THE BULK OF WEATHER ENERGY BOTH SOUTH AND
NORTH OF OUR AREA. SINCE THIS IS A CHANGE FROM LAST NIGHTS RUN...
CHOSE TO TREND MODELS DRIER THIS PERIOD VERSUS COMPLETELY DRYING
THINGS OUT.
&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR
     PORTIONS OF WESTERN MONTANA THIS EVENING INTO SATURDAY
     MORNING...SEE GTFWSWMSO FOR DETAILS...
ID...WINTER STORM WARNINGS AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR PORTIONS
     OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO THIS EVENING INTO SATURDAY MORNING...
     SEE GTFWSWMSO FOR DETAILS...
&&

SHORT TERM/KOCH
LONG TERM/MWJ

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 5, 4:43 AM MST, 11 hours 17 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
600 AM MST (500 AM PST) FRI MAR 5 2004

MTZ001>007-043-IDZ005>010-061300-
KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-WEST GLACIER REGION-FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS-
LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS-
BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-BUTTE/PINTLAR REGION-BLACKFOOT REGION-
NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION-LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER-
WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY-EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY-
600 AM MST (500 AM PST) FRI MAR 5 2004

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

.DAY ONE... TODAY

A STRONG PACIFIC COLD FRONT WILL APPROACH THE REGION FROM THE WEST
TODAY...AND MOVE THROUGH TONIGHT. WIDESPREAD VALLEY RAIN AND SNOW AND
HEAVY MOUNTAIN SNOW WILL BE THE RESULT. IN ADDITION...STRONG WINDS
WILL DEVELOP WHICH WILL CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW...MAINLY
OVER THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS. NUMEROUS WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS AND
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR THE NORTHERN ROCKIES LATER TODAY AND
TONIGHT. REFER TO GTFWSWMSO FOR DETAILS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY

ACCUMULATING SNOW AND STRONG WINDS WILL LAST INTO SATURDAY BUT THE
WEATHER IS EXPECTED TO IMPROVE SUNDAY AND BEYOND.

.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

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When: March 5, 4:00 PM MST to March 6, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, West Glacier Region

When: March 5, 4:00 PM MST to March 6, 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Lower Clark Fork Region

When: March 5, 4:00 PM MST to March 6, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates: 47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When: March 5, 4:00 PM MST to March 6, 10:00 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)

Winter Storm, Blackfoot Region

When: March 5, 4:00 PM MST to March 6, 10:00 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

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, March 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: 5387726, 5387727, 5387728, 5387729, 5387730.