A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the Rocky Mountain Front.
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 TFX wrote it up.
A strong Pacific storm system brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the Rocky Mountain Front.
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 12, 10:53 AM MST, 3 hours 42 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1053 AM MST TUE DEC 12 2006 UPDATE TO AVIATION SECTION ONLY .UPDATE... A RATHER ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN WILL CONTINUE TO REMAIN OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE END OF THE WEEK. STRONG WINDS ARE SLOW TO DEVELOP THIS MORNING OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AS A BIT OF CLOUDS AND PRECIP HAS MOVED INTO THE REGION. WITH A FEW BREAKS IN THE SHOWERS EXPECTED LATER THIS MORNING...STRONG WINDS SHOULD DEVELOP IN THE WARNED AREA BY NOON AND THEN CONTINUE UNTIL LATE AFTERNOON. THERE WILL BE SCATTERED SHOWERS AND AREAS OF FOG OVER THE SOUTHWEST...ESPECIALLY IN THE MOUNTAINS. TEMPS LOOK ON TRACK...BUT I DID RAISE A FEW LOCATIONS WITH SOME SUN EXPECTED AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. A BIT OF A LULL IN THE ACTIVE WEATHER WILL OCCUR TONIGHT...AS THE NEXT DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE REGION ON WEDNESDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS AND MOUNTAIN PRECIP TO ACCOMPANY THIS DISTURBANCE. NEAR BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE LIKELY OVER MARIAS PASS ON WEDNESDAY...AND THE WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE LIKELY UPGRADED TO A WINTER STORM OR BLIZZARD WARNING LATER TODAY. HIGH WIND WATCHES WILL LIKELY BE ISSUED LATER TODAY FOR THE WESTERN HALF OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA FOR WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY...AS MID LEVEL WINDS ARE PROGGED AROUND 70 KNOTS. BRUSDA && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1753Z. AN UPPER LEVEL TROF WILL MOVE ACROSS NORTHERN MONTANA TODAY. ASSOCIATED SURFACE LOW PRESSURE OVER SOUTHERN CANADA AND HIGH SURFACE PRESSURE OVER THE GREAT BASIN WILL HELP SUSTAIN STRONG AND GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS. WINDS WILL DECREASE OVER THE PLAINS AFTER MIDNIGHT BUT WILL INCREASE AGAIN WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. PRECIPITATION AND ASSOCIATED OBSCURATIONS WILL BE CONFINED TO THE WESTERN AND SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL WITH MVFR CONDITIONS IN THE VICINITY OF MOUNTAIN SHOWERS. && .PREV DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 435 AM MST TUE DEC 12 2006) DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL PREVAIL OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH THURSDAY AND BEYOND. THIS WILL BRING PERIODS OF SNOW TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND WINDY CONDITIONS TO NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. FOR SOUTHWEST MONTANA...SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS CAN BE EXPECTED UNDER THIS PATTERN. THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL LIKELY SEE SOME LIGHT SNOW. THIS FIRST WAVE EMBEDDED IN THIS FLOW WILL MOVE ALONG THE MONTANA-ALBERTA BORDER TODAY. WINDY CONDITIONS WILL ACCOMPANY THIS SYSTEM ALONG WITH SNOW OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL MOVE ACROSS SOUTHWEST MONTANA. THE NEXT SYSTEM AGAIN RIDES ALONG THE MONTANA-ALBERTA BORDER LATE WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THIS SYSTEM IS STRONGER THAN TODAY SYSTEM AND WILL BRING INCREASED PRECIPITATION FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND STRONGER WINDS FOR THE PLAINS. WILL HOLD OFF FROM ISSUING A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA SINCE WE HAVE A HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT AND PLUS THE SYSTEM IS FOUR PERIODS OUT. WILL MAKE SURE THIS EVENT IS MENTIONED IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK. MEIER THURSDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT...THE PERIOD STARTS OUT WITH WEAK RIDGING ALOFT AS A DEEP UPPER TROF APPROACHES THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. THIS FEATURE WEAKENS AS IT MOVES TO THE AREA FRIDAY. ASSOCIATED DEEP SURFACE LOW PRESSURE WILL MOVE ALONG THE CANADIAN BORDER FRIDAY PROVIDING A VERY TIGHT GRADIENT AND THE LIKELIHOOD OF STRONG WINDS. WESTERLY FLOW SATURDAY WILL ENHANCE OROGRAPHIC PRECIPITATION. BY SUNDAY...INCREASING SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL BRING MOISTURE AND SCATTERED SNOW TO THE AREA. TEMPERATURES WILL REMAIN NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES EARLY IN THE PERIOD WITH COLDER AIR RETURNING TO THE AREA SUNDAY. MONDAY AND TUESDAY...LONG RANGE MODELS CONTINUE TO BE CONSISTENT WITH A DEEP TROUGH OF LOW PRESSURE MOVING INTO THE WESTERN STATES FROM THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. A CHANCE OF SNOW AND SLIGHTLY BELOW NORMAL TEMPERATURES FOR THE MOUNTAINS AND THE PLAINS MONDAY. A RIDGE FROM THE WEST BEGINS TO NOSE INTO WESTERN MONTANA LATE MONDAY INTO EARLY TUESDAY. IF TIMING REMAINS UNCHANGED THE RIDGE WILL BE SHORT LIVED AS THE NEXT PACIFIC DISTURBANCE MOVES INTO THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. SAUCIER && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 49 32 52 36 / 0 0 20 0 CTB 47 28 49 31 / 0 0 20 0 HLN 47 29 46 34 / 20 10 30 10 BZN 44 20 43 26 / 30 10 40 20 WEY 34 15 36 17 / 60 40 90 70 DLN 43 26 42 30 / 30 10 40 20 HVR 48 23 48 31 / 0 0 20 0 LWT 48 28 47 33 / 0 0 20 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR MTZ009-010- 048. WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET MTZ009-048. && SHORT TERM...BRUSDA LONG TERM...EMANUEL/SAUCIER AVIATION...CAMP WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 231 PM MST TUE DEC 12 2006 MTZ009-010-048-132145- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 231 PM MST TUE DEC 12 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND THE ADJACENT PLAINS...INCLUDING THE CUT BANK AREA UNTIL 5 PM TODAY. IN ADDITION TO THE WIND...SNOW WILL FALL ABOVE 5000 FEET RESULTING IN AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY SEVERAL ADDITIONAL DISTURBANCES IN THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL TRACK ACROSS THE ROCKIES WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THIS WILL BRING ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF VERY WINDY CONDITIONS...WITH WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH EXPECTED WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY. THESE SYSTEMS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PRODUCE SIGNIFICANT SNOW ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE FOR BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW. A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT EFFECTIVE 11AM WEDNESDAY THROUGH 11PM THURSDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET. PLEASE MONITOR FORECASTS FOR ADDITIONAL WINTER STORM...AND HIGH WIND WATCHES OR WARNINGS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ011>014-044>047-049>051-054-132145- HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE- LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- MEAGHER- 231 PM MST TUE DEC 12 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER FOR TODAY AND TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY A STRONG WESTERLY FLOW FROM THE PACIFIC WILL PERSIST OVER THE REGION THIS WEEK...RESULTING IN VERY WINDY CONDITIONS ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. STRONG WEST TO SOUTHWEST WINDS ARE LIKELY ACROSS MUCH OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY AS STRONG DISTURBANCES PASS THROUGH THE REGION. A HIGH WIND WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA EFFECTIVE 11AM WEDNESDAY THROUGH 11PM THURSDAY...WITH WIND GUSTS IN EXCESS OF 65 MPH POSSIBLE DURING THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-015-052-053-055-132145- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-GALLATIN- 231 PM MST TUE DEC 12 2006 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Gusty winds and heavy snow caused icy conditions along with poor visibilities in Marias Pass and over stretches of highway US-2.
Gusty winds and heavy snow caused icy conditions and poor visibilities along stretches of highway US-89.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2006
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: 6581, 6582.