A strong westerly flow aloft brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Snow fall in excess of 6 inches and wind gusts greater than 65 mph were reported.
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 westerly flow aloft brought heavy snow and gusty winds to the Northern Rocky Mountain Front. Snow fall in excess of 6 inches and wind gusts greater than 65 mph were reported.
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 Feb 19, 10:00 PM MST, 1 hour 12 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1000 PM MST MON FEB 19 2007 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION ONLY .UPDATE...HAVE UPDATED TO RAISE OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES AT HAVRE AND BOZEMAN. PRESSURE GRADIENTS HAVE TIGHTENED ALLOWING GUSTY SOUTHWEST WINDS TO INCREASE ACROSS MY ENTIRE CWA. THE WINDS ARE EXPECTED TO KEEP TEMPERATURES FROM DROPPING SIGNIFICANTLY OVERNIGHT. ONE CONCERN IN THE SHORT TERM IS THE POSSIBILITY OF WINDS REACHING HIGH WIND CRITERIA IN THE CUT BANK AREA. AT THIS TIME IT APPEARS THAT WINDS MAY BRIEFLY APPROACH CRITERIA LEVEL TUESDAY AFTERNOON. FOR NOW HAVE DECIDED NOT TO ISSUE ANY HIGHLIGHTS BUT THE OVERNIGHT SHIFT WILL PROBABLY NEED TO EXAMINE THIS IN MORE DETAIL. REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST LOOKS IN GOOD SHAPE. MPJ && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0500Z. A STRONG WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT WILL RESIDE OVER THE REGION THROUGH THE PERIOD. WIDESPREAD MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDS CAN BE EXPECTED OVER THE REGION. LOW CLOUDS WITH PERIODS OF SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...WILL CONTINUE OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHWEST. STRONG DOWNSLOPE WINDS CAN BE EXPECTED EAST OF THE FRONT RANGE OF THE ROCKIES...INCLUDING LOCATIONS NEAR HELENA...GREAT FALLS...CUT BANK...HAVRE AND LEWISTOWN. WIND SPEEDS SHOULD CONTINUE TO INCREASE IN STRENGTH DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE OVERNIGHT HOURS...WITH THE STRONGEST SURFACE WINDS EXPECTED FROM 16Z TUESDAY THROUGH 22Z TUESDAY. GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS AND SOUTHWEST VALLEYS...WHILE VFR/MVFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHWEST MOUNTAINS. GENERALLY MOUNTAINS OBSCURED WITH IFR/LIFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES THROUGH THE PERIOD. BRUSDA && .PREV DISCUSSION... (ISSUED 445 PM MST MON FEB 19 2007) DISCUSSION... VERY MOIST PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM MOVING TOWARDS NORTHWEST MONTANA TONIGHT BRINGING SNOW MAINLY TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. SURFACE TROUGH TO DEVELOP ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT FOR STRONG GUSTY WINDS THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. WINTER STORM WARNING CONTINUES FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH 5 PM TUESDAY AFTERNOON. ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO THE SOUTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY AS FLOW BECOMES MORE SOUTHWESTERLY BRING MOISTURE TO THAT AREA WITH COLD AIR MOVING DOWN FROM THE NORTH. SNOW WILL FALL OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON COULD SEE A MIX OF RAIN AND SNOW IN THE VALLEYS WITH SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS DEPENDING ON THE TIMING OF COLD AIR WITH THE MOISTURE. CAMP WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...THE DEEP PACIFIC TROUGH RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MORE MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT WILL MOVE INTO THE WESTERN CONUS WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS WILL KEEP THE MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA THROUGH THIS PERIOD...SPREADING A GOOD CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION OVER THE ENTIRE AREA. A SURFACE LOW PRESSURE AREA WILL ALSO DEVELOP OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND MOVE EAST ACROSS SOUTHERN MONTANA THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT. THIS LOW PRESSURE AREA AND ITS ASSOCIATED WARMER AIR WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES NEAR NORMAL. MEASURABLE SNOWFALL IS LIKELY IN THE MOUNTAINS DURING THIS PERIOD...WITH SNOW POSSIBLE OVER THE PLAINS. WILL ADDRESS THIS IN THE HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK AND MONITOR IT THE NEXT FEW DAYS FOR A POSSIBLE WINTER STORM WATCH. THE TROUGH WILL THEN MOVE THROUGH THE AREA FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT...FORCING THE MOIST SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT EAST OF THE AREA. WITH SKIES BECOMING LESS CLOUDY DURING THIS TIME AND COOLER AIR ACCOMPANYING THE TROUGH...TEMPERATURES WILL GENERALLY FALL BELOW NORMAL...WITH SINGLE DIGITS AND TEENS POSSIBLE FRIDAY NIGHT. A WEAKER PACIFIC TROUGH WILL APPROACH MONTANA SATURDAY NIGHT...FOR A BETTER CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE MOUNTAINS. COULSTON SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY...MODEL INCONSISTENCIES DURING THIS PERIOD DETRACT FROM FORECAST CONFIDENCE. I WENT WITH A COMPROMISE SOLUTION OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH DIGGING INTO THE WESTERN US. MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES ARE EXPECTED WITH A CHANCE OF SNOW OVER THE MOUNTAINS....SNOW WILL BE MORE WIDESPREAD ALONG THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE. THE SOUTHERN PLAINS WILL HAVE A SLIGHT CHANCE OF SNOW...WITH OUR NORTHERN PLAINS STAYING GENERALLY DRY. TEMPERATURES SHOULD COOL A LITTLE BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES. EK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 33 48 26 41 / 0 0 10 10 CTB 32 44 25 38 / 0 10 10 10 HLN 32 49 19 41 / 10 10 30 30 BZN 31 46 21 38 / 0 10 30 40 WEY 10 35 18 33 / 20 40 70 70 DLN 23 42 22 40 / 10 10 30 40 HVR 30 46 24 39 / 0 0 10 10 LWT 27 45 26 40 / 0 0 20 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST TUESDAY FOR MTZ009-048. && SHORT TERM...MPJ/CAMP LONG TERM...COULSTON/EK AVIATION...BRUSDA WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 605 AM MST MON FEB 19 2007 MTZ009-048-201300- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 605 AM MST MON FEB 19 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT BEGINNING AT 5 PM MST TONIGHT. SNOW AND GUSTY WEST WINDS WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AS WELL AS AREAS OF REDUCED VISIBILITIES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST TUESDAY. SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW WILL CONTINUE BUT DIMINISH TUESDAY AFTERNOON. A VERY MOIST PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BRING SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER THE PLAINS AND IN THE VALLEYS. HOWEVER...THE EXACT STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM AND THE AMOUNT OF SNOW IT WILL BRING IS STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. THEREFORE...THIS SITUATION WILL BE MONITORED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO DETERMINE IF A WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE NECESSARY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-010>015-044>047-049>055-201300- BEAVERHEAD-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 558 AM MST MON FEB 19 2007 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT HAZARDOUS WEATHER PROBABILITY IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A VERY MOIST PACIFIC WEATHER SYSTEM WILL LIKELY BRING SNOW TO THE MOUNTAINS OF SOUTHWEST AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY NIGHT. PRECIPITATION WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE OVER THE PLAINS AND IN THE VALLEYS. HOWEVER...THE EXACT STRENGTH OF THIS SYSTEM AND THE AMOUNT OF SNOW IT WILL BRING IS STILL UNCERTAIN AT THIS TIME. THEREFORE...THIS SITUATION WILL BE MONITORED OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS TO DETERMINE IF A WINTER STORM WATCH WILL BE NECESSARY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow fall in excess of 6 inches and wind gusts to 69 mph were reported at the Two Medicine DOT site.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2007Every state in 2007This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2007
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: 11345.