A strong and nearly stationary area of low pressure across extreme northeast Montana produced blizzard conditions in the Little Rockies and Big Sheep mountains, where up to 2 feet of wet snow was reported across the higher elevations. The snow was accompained by wind gusts in excess of 70 mph which produced considerable blowing and drifting snow.
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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.
The episode as NWS GGW wrote it up.
A strong and nearly stationary area of low pressure across extreme northeast Montana produced blizzard conditions in the Little Rockies and Big Sheep mountains, where up to 2 feet of wet snow was reported across the higher elevations. The snow was accompained by wind gusts in excess of 70 mph which produced considerable blowing and drifting snow. Snow drifts of up to 6 feet were reported in the town of Zortman, and the power was out in town for about 24 hours. Many calves were lost in the Little Rockies, and 100 year old trees were blown down due to the high wind.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 9, 1:55 AM MST, 4 hours 5 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 255 AM MDT SAT APR 9 2005 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA TODAY THROUGH MONDAY... A SPRING STORM TO BRING RAIN AND HEAVY WET SNOW TO A PORTION OF THE CWA THE NEXT 24 TO 36 HOURS. ONCE THE STORM DEPARTS THERE WILL BE A QUICK RETURN TO DRY AND MILD WEATHER EARLY NEXT WEEK. AS CAN OFTEN BE THE CASE THIS TIME OF YEAR THIS STORM WILL BE HIGHLY ELEVATION DEPENDENT AND JUST A MATTER OF A COUPLE OF MILES (OR A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET IN ELEVATION) WILL LIKELY MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEVERAL INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW AND A SOAKING RAIN. THE NAM HAS BEEN REMARKABLY CONSISTENT THE LAST FEW RUNS AND THE GFS HAS COME AROUND TO ITS SOLUTION THIS MORNING. PLAN TO ISSUE WINTER STORM WARNINGS WITH THIS PACKAGE FOR THE AREAS WHERE CONFIDENCE IS HIGH THAT A SIZABLE PORTION OF THE ZONE WILL REACH WARNING CRITERIA. WILL KEEP THE WINTER STORM WATCH FOR THE NORTHEAST CORNER WHERE CONDITIONS ARE MUCH MORE MARGINAL AND THE CHANGEOVER TO SNOW WILL TAKE PLACE VERY LATE TONIGHT OR EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. TODAY...A TROUGH IS EVIDENT ON WATER VAPOR IN THE GREAT BASIN WITH COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF MID AND UPPER LEVEL MOISTURE BEING PULLED NORTH INTO EASTERN MONTANA. A TROPICAL CONNECTION IS EVIDENT FROM THE PACIFIC AND INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO WITH MOISTURE BEING PULLED NORTHEAST INTO THE PLAINS. MODELS NOW REMARKABLY CONSISTENT THAT AN UPPER LOW CLOSES OFF ACROSS SOUTHEAST MONTANA LATER THIS MORNING AND THAT IT LIFTS NORTH INTO OUR SOUTHEAST ZONES BY LATE IN THE DAY. AT THE SURFACE A STRONG LOW WILL SIT NEAR THE MT/ND/SK BORDER BY THIS AFTERNOON WITH PLENTY OF MOISTURE WRAPPING AROUND THE LOW ALONG WITH STRONG LIFT AND GOOD FRONTOGENETIC FORCING AT 700H WILL MEAN A BAND OF STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL SET UP TODAY ACROSS THE WESTERN HALF OF THE CWA. THIS SYSTEM LOOKS TO BE VERY DYNAMIC AND ALTHOUGH ATMOSPHERIC PROFILES ARE MARGINAL...EVAPORATIVE COOLING LIKELY TO CAUSE THE RAIN TO MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO WET SNOW THIS AFTERNOON ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS OF NORTHERN VALLEY COUNTY AND PHILLIPS COUNTY ABOVE ABOUT 2800 FEET...AND PERHAPS AS CLOSE TO GLASGOW AS THE PEAKS OF THE LARB HILLS TOWARD EVENING. ALSO LOOKS LIKE THERE SHOULD BE PLENTY OF WIND FOR A LAKE WIND ADVISORY. TONIGHT...MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT THAT THE 500H AND 700H LOWS TRACK SLOWLY TO THE NORTH/NORTHEAST NEAR THE MONTANA/NORTH DAKOTA BORDER WHILE THE SURFACE LOW FILLS A BIT AND LIFTS INTO SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. PLENTY OF MOISTURE WRAPS AROUND THE SYSTEM INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA. MODELS VERY CONSISTENT IN HITTING THE CENTRAL PORTION OF THE CWA THE HARDEST WITH THE BEST FORCING AND GREATEST AMOUNTS OF QPF. WOULD EXPECT THE RAIN TO MIX WITH AND CHANGE TO SNOW ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA DURING THE EVENING WITH THE CHANGEOVER OCCURRING ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS FIRST AND WORKING DOWN TO THE VALLEY FLOOR. THE PRECIPITATION TYPE ALSO LIKELY TO BE DEPENDENT ON THE INTENSITY. WHERE THE PRECIPITATION FALLS HEAVIER WET SNOW WOULD BE FAVORED...BUT WHERE LIGHTER BANDS OF PRECIPITATION FALL RAIN WOULD BE MORE LIKELY THAN WET SNOW. LOOKS LIKE THE GREATEST AMOUNTS OF SNOW WILL LIKELY FALL ACROSS PHILLIPS AND VALLEY COUNTIES. THE WARM CONVEYER BELT LIKELY TO KEEP THE PRECIPITATION IN LIQUID FORM IN THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF THE STATE MUCH OF THE NIGHT. PLAN TO ISSUE A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR PHILLIPS AND VALLEY COUNTY. THINKING THAT 6 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW IS A GOOD BET ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS WITH ANYWHERE FROM LITTLE/NO SNOW TO A FEW INCHES ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS...AND WILL WORD AS SUCH IN THE WARNING. MUCH MORE QUESTIONABLE WHAT HAPPENS FURTHER EAST (ROOSEVELT/DANIELS/SHERIDAN COUNTIES)...AND THE PLAN IS TO KEEP THE WATCH IN PLACE SO THAT THE DAY SHIFT HAS ROOM TO EITHER DROP THE WATCH...UPGRADE TO A WARNING...OR SOMETHING IN BETWEEN. IN ANY CASE...IN THE ABOVE MENTIONED AREAS THE BEST CHANCE OF ACCUMULATING SNOW WILL COME VERY LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WILL KEEP THE LAKE WIND ADVISORY GOING FOR THE ZONES THAT ARE NOT COVERED BY THE WINTER STORM WARNING (GARFIELD/MCCONE/PETROLEUM) COUNTIES. SUNDAY...THE SYSTEM BEGINS TO SLOWLY WEAKEN AND LIFT OUT TOWARD THE NORTHEAST INTO SOUTHERN CANADA. STEADY PRECIPITATION WILL LINGER DURING THE MORNING AND SHOULD SHIFT TO THE NORTHEAST. EXPECT THAT THE HEAVIEST QPF WILL LIKELY COME TO AN END BY MID-LATE MORNING...BUT THERE MAYBE ENOUGH TIME FOR SOME SNOW ACCUMULATION ACROSS OUR NORTHEAST COUNTIES. DOUBTFUL THAT IT WILL REACH WARNING CRITERIA...BUT IF THERE IS ANY SLIGHT SHIFT (50-100 MILES) EAST WITH THE EXPECTED HEAVIER BAND OF PRECIPITATION LATER TONIGHT COULD SEE ADVISORY OR WARNING CRITERIA SNOW...ESPECIALLY IN WESTERN ROOSEVELT AND DANIELS COUNTY. SOME DRIER AIR SHOULD BEGIN TO FILTER INTO OUR WESTERN ZONES DURING THE AFTERNOON AS THE SYSTEM SHIFTS TO THE NORTHEAST AND AN UPPER RIDGE BEGINS TO BUILD ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. SUN NIGHT & MONDAY...ANY LINGERING RAIN OR SNOW SHOULD COME TO AN END ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CORNER EARLY SUNDAY EVENING WITH CLEARING WORKING IN FROM THE SOUTHWEST OVERNIGHT. DRY AND MILDER MONDAY AS THE WEEKEND SYSTEM DEPARTS AND EASTERN MONTANA IS GENERALLY IN SPLIT FLOW WITH SOME MID LEVEL SHORTWAVE RIDGING. LOWERED TEMPERATURES A BIT IN THE AREAS THAT ARE MOST LIKELY TO GET SOME SNOWFALL THIS WEEKEND. CB .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... LOTS OF QUESTIONS IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD AS MODELS GOING IN THEIR OWN DIRECTIONS. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY CONFIDENCE DECENT WITH EXPECTED WEAK INDUCED UPPER RIDGE OVER EASTERN MONTANA IN BETWEEN DEPARTING LOW WHICH WILL SPREAD GOOD WILL AND CHEER ACROSS THE AREA THIS WEEKEND...AND ANOTHER UPPER LEVEL SYSTEM BEARING DOWN ON US FOR LATER NEXT WEEK. THIS IS WHERE CONTENTION LIES. 00Z GFS WHISKS THIS NEXT SYSTEM THRU AS AN OPEN TROF...INDICATING OUR CHANCES OF PRECIPITATION ONLY COME WEDNESDAY NIGHT THRU THURSDAY NIGHT AS A COLD FRONT PASSES FOLLOWED BY THE UPPER TROF. SYSTEM THEN BASICALLY WHISKS OFF TO THE EAST LEAVING US DRY THEREAFTER. ONLY PROBLEM IS A FEW OF THE OTHER MODELS...NAMELY THE ECMWF/NOGAPS/DGEX/CANADIAN ALL INDICATE THIS TROF WILL DEVELOP INTO A CUTOFF LOW...AND THUS MOVE MORE SLOWLY. GIVEN THIS IS THE CUTOFF TIME OF YEAR...AND THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING RECENTLY...MOST RECENTLY NOW...FEEL THE 00Z GFS IS NOT THE WAY TO GO. THAT SAID...MY NEIGHBORS FEEL DIFFERENTLY AND THUS THE FORECAST IS COLLABORATIVELY COMPROMISED HEAVILY TOWARD THE GFS SOLUTION. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... LAKE WIND ADVISORY FOR FORT PECK LAKE TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY. WINTER STORM WARNING FOR MTZ016-017-059-061 TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. WINTER STORM WATCH FOR MTZ018>020-062 TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY. WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 551 AM MDT SAT APR 9 2005 MTZ016>027-059>062-101200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 551 AM MDT SAT APR 9 2005 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT TODAY FOR FORT PECK LAKE. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE GTFNPWGGW OR WWUS75 KGGW. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT FOR VALLEY AND MOST OF PHILLIPS COUNTIES...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT FOR DANIELS...SHERIDAN...AND ROOSEVELT COUNTIES. FOR DETAILS ON THESE PLEASE SEE GTFWSWGGW OR WWUS45 KGGW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A LAKE WIND ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 8 PM SUNDAY FOR FORT PECK LAKE. FOR DETAILS PLEASE SEE GTFNPWGGW OR WWUS75 KGGW. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON SUNDAY FOR VALLEY AND MOST OF PHILLIPS COUNTIES...AND A WINTER STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT THROUGH 3 PM SUNDAY FOR DANIELS...SHERIDAN...AND ROOSEVELT COUNTIES. FOR DETAILS ON THESE PLEASE SEE GTFWSWGGW OR WWUS45 KGGW. OTHERWISE NO OTHER 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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2005
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: 5443413, 5443414, 5443415.