Montana, 2006

Winter Storm in Montana, January 9 to 11, 2006

January 9 to 11, 2006 · NWS MSO · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A strong winter storm brought combination of heavy snow and strong southerly winds to much of the Northern Rockies. Widespread accumulations of 4 to 8 inches fell in the valleys with 12 to 18 inches falling over the mountains.

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.

A strong winter storm brought combination of heavy snow and strong southerly winds to much of the Northern Rockies. Widespread accumulations of 4 to 8 inches fell in the valleys with 12 to 18 inches falling over the mountains. Southerly winds at 15 to 30 mph, with gusts as high as 41 mph were measured with the storm. Newspapers reported wind damage to trees and signs in the Lower Clark Fork Region causing power outages.

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 Jan 9, 2:10 PM MST, 2 hours 50 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jan 9, 2:10 PM MST, 2 hours 50 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Jan 9, 2:44 PM MST, 2 hours 16 minutes before
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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
January 9, 5:00 PM MST to January 10, 5:00 PM 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
January 9, 11:00 PM MST to January 11, 5:00 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
January 9, 11:00 PM MST to January 11, 5:00 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
January 9, 11:00 PM MST to January 11, 5:00 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
January 9, 11:00 PM MST to January 11, 5:00 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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2006Every state in 2006This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5487658, 5487659, 5487660, 5487661, 5487662.