Blizzard, Richland
- When
- April 18, 8:00 AM MST to April 19, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Richland forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 47.788, -104.561 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard in Montana, April 18 to 19, 2006
9 blizzard, as filed by the National Weather Service.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it; 9 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
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.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
9 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Blizzard, McCone
- When
- April 18, 8:00 AM MST to April 19, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- McCone forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 47.645, -105.795 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Prairie
- When
- April 18, 9:00 AM MST to April 19, 9:00 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, Western Roosevelt
- When
- April 18, 11:00 AM MST to April 19, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Western Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Wibaux
- When
- April 18, 11:30 AM MST to April 19, 9:00 AM MST
- Where
- Wibaux forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 46.965, -104.249 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Dawson
- When
- April 18, 2:30 PM MST to April 19, 9:00 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, Eastern Roosevelt
- When
- April 18, 3:00 PM MST to April 19, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Eastern Roosevelt forecast zone
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 48.295, -105.016 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Sheridan
- When
- April 18, 4:00 PM MST to April 19, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Sheridan forecast zone
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 48.721, -104.505 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Blizzard, Daniels
- When
- April 18, 5:30 PM MST to April 19, 2:00 AM MST
- Where
- Daniels forecast zone
- Reported by
- GENERAL PUBLIC
- Coordinates
- 48.784, -105.549 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
A spring blizzard affected extreme eastern Montana from the morning of the 18th until mid-morning on the 19th. An area of low pressure developed in Wyoming and moved out into the western Dakotas. A heavy wet snow fell across the area and combined with a north wind of 30 to 50 mph with gusts to 70 mph to produce blizzard conditions. The heaviest snow fell across the Big Sheep Mountains and in Wibaux County where 12 to 17 inches of heavy wet snow fell. The snowfall was highly elevation dependent south of the Missouri River. Mostly snow fell above 2600 feet, and mainly rain fell in the valleys, where 2 to 4 inch amounts were common. Interstate 94 was closed from Glendive to the North Dakota border during the height of the storm, and many roads in Wibaux County were closed or open to emergency travel only. Three semi-trucks and 1 car were stranded on Highway 200 25 miles west-northwest of Glendive in the Big Sheep Mountains. The snow was reported to be 1 foot deep with visibility of 50 feet at the time. The strong wind knocked out power across portions of Daniels, Dawson, Prairie and Wibaux Counties. A few of the heavier snowfall amounts included:9NW Carlyle (Wibaux County):17 inchesCulbertson (Roosevelt County):12 inches10W Crane (Richland County): 12 inches10N Lindsay (Dawson County): 10 inches, with drifts 4 to 5 ft deep
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
- Avalanche in Washington, April 18, 2006
- Winter Storm in South Dakota, April 18 to 19, 2006
- Hail in Texas, April 18, 2006
- Winter Storm in North Dakota, April 18 to 19, 2006
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Missouri, April 18, 2006
- Tornado and Hail in Illinois, April 18 to 19, 2006
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Texas, April 18, 2006
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 18, 2006
- Hail in Missouri, April 18, 2006
- Hail and High Wind in Texas, April 18, 2006
- Damaging Wind in Alabama, April 18, 2006
- Lightning Strike in Alabama, April 18, 2006
More
Every storm in Montana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2006
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: 5497416, 5497419, 5497418, 5497415, 5497417, 5497420, 5497413, 5497414, 5497412.