Montana, 2005

Blizzard in Montana, January 12 to 13, 2005

January 12 to 13, 2005 · NWS GGW · 16 events in 16 counties and zones

An arctic cold front swept across northeast Montana during the morning hours of the 12th. In the wake of the front, northwest winds increased to 20 to 40 mph with gusts to around 50 mph.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 16 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
16

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 GGW wrote it up.

An arctic cold front swept across northeast Montana during the morning hours of the 12th. In the wake of the front, northwest winds increased to 20 to 40 mph with gusts to around 50 mph. The strong wind combined with 6 to 14 inches of snow on the ground from previous snowfalls to produced considerable blowing snow with areas of drifting snow. The visibility was reduced to a quarter of a mile or less, and locally near zero in the blowing snow. The strong wind combined with falling temperatures to produce wind chills of 20 to 40 below zero during the afternoon and evening hours.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

16 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Blizzard, Northern Phillips

When
January 12, 7:30 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Phillips forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Garfield

When
January 12, 9:00 AM MST to 8:00 PM MST
Where
Garfield forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.278, -106.993 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Northern Valley

When
January 12, 10:00 AM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where
Northern Valley forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Daniels

When
January 12, 10:45 AM MST to 10:00 PM MST
Where
Daniels forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Eastern Roosevelt

When
January 12, 11:00 AM MST to January 13, 3:00 AM MST
Where
Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Western Roosevelt

When
January 12, 11:00 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Western Roosevelt forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Sheridan

When
January 12, 11:30 AM MST to January 13, 6:00 AM MST
Where
Sheridan forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Central and Se Phillips

When
January 12, 11:45 AM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Central and Se Phillips forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Dawson

When
January 12, 11:55 AM MST to January 13, 4:00 AM MST
Where
Dawson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.266, -104.899 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, McCone

When
January 12, 12:00 PM MST to January 13, 3:00 AM MST
Where
McCone forecast zone
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Richland

When
January 12, 12:00 PM MST to January 13, 1:00 AM MST
Where
Richland forecast zone
Reported by
AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
Coordinates
47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Central and Southern Valley

When
January 12, 12:15 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Central and Southern Valley forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.365, -106.667 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Wibaux

When
January 12, 1:15 PM MST to 11:00 PM MST
Where
Wibaux forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Little Rocky Mountains

When
January 12, 3:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Little Rocky Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
48.259, -107.913 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Prairie

When
January 12, 3:30 PM MST to January 13, 5:00 AM MST
Where
Prairie forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
46.861, -105.378 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Blizzard, Petroleum

When
January 12, 4:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Petroleum forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
47.118, -108.250 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Blizzard
Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2005Every state in 2005This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2005

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5433757, 5433754, 5433758, 5433751, 5433753, 5433763, 5433762, 5433658, 5433752, 5433756, 5433761, 5433659, 5433764, 5433755, 5433760, 5433759.