Pacific moisture and a cold airmass east of the continental divide interacted to produce heavy snows. Snow amounts in excess of 10 inches was 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.
Pacific moisture and a cold airmass east of the continental divide interacted to produce heavy snows. Snow amounts in excess of 10 inches was 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 Dec 26, 10:57 AM MST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1057 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 ...UPDATE TO AVIATION... .UPDATE... SYSTEM THAT BROUGHT WIDESPREAD SNOW (WITH LOCALLY HEAVY SNOW ACROSS PORTIONS OF CASCADE COUNTY AND GALLATIN COUNTY) TO THE FORECAST AREA OVERNIGHT IS EXITING TO THE EAST THIS MORNING THROUGH EASTERN MT/WY. EXPECT DIMINISHING SNOW FROM NW TO SE THROUGH SOUTHERN AND EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA. SNOW WILL LINGER LONGEST ACROSS FERGUS AND GALLATIN COUNTIES WHERE FAVORABLE NW WIND ALIGNMENT TO THE TERRAIN WILL CONTINUE TO GENERATE AT LEAST LIGHT SNOW THROUGH EARLY THIS AFTERNOON. WITH SNOW ENDING OR DIMINISHING ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA WILL CANCEL THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY WITH THE UPDATE THIS MORNING. HAVE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS TO POPS TO INDICATE ENDING SNOW ACROSS NW ZONES WITH LINGERING POPS ACROSS SE ZONES. ATTENTION THEN TURNS TO IMPACT OF INCREASING WINDS LATER TODAY THROUGH THE WEEKEND AS LEE- SIDE TROUGH DEVELOPS EAST OF THE ROCKIES UNDER A STRENGTHENING ZONAL FLOW ALOFT. HAVE INCREASED WINDS A BIT LATE THIS AFTERNOON AND ADDED BLOWING SNOW MENTION TO THE FORECAST OVER NORTH-CENTRAL MT AS WINDS SHOULD INCREASE TO 15-20 MPH RANGE IN OPEN AREAS OF NORTH CENTRAL ZONES BY THIS AFTERNOON. STRONGER WINDS ARRIVE LATER TONIGHT THROUGH THE WEEKEND AND WITH TEMPS BELOW FREEZING THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT ALONG WITH PLENTIFULLY FRESH SNOW COVER...BLOWING/DRIFTING SNOW MAY BECOME A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT WITH ADDITIONAL WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS POSSIBLE BY TONIGHT. HOENISCH && .DISCUSSION... |/ISSUED 445 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008/ TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...BROAD UPPER TROF CONTINUES TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. SNOW AMOUNTS HAVE BEEN HEAVIER THAN ANTICIPATED ACROSS PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. RADAR RETURNS AND SATELLITE IMAGERY INDICATE THE SNOW SHOULD BE ENDING AT GREAT FALLS WITHIN THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS WITH MOST OF THE SNOW DONE BY AFTERNOON. HAVE DROPPED POPS FOR THE AFTERNOON AND HAVE MODIFIED WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY TO END AT 18Z. A LEE SIDE TROF BEGINS TO DEVELOP LATER THIS AFTERNOON AND WILL STRENGTHEN OVERNIGHT. WIND SPEEDS WILL PICK UP SIGNIFICANTLY TONIGHT WITH AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW LIKELY TO BE A PROBLEM. GRADIENT BECOMES VERY TIGHT OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS ON SATURDAY AND HAVE ISSUED A HIGH WIND WATCH FOR THIS AREA FOR SATURDAY. THE FLOW ALOFT BECOMES ZONAL ON SUNDAY WITH EMBEDDED IMPULSES MOVING ACROSS THE AREA. ISOLATED SNOW WILL REMAIN IN THE FORECAST FOR SUNDAY. COOLER AIR WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TODAY IN THE WAKE OF THE TROF PASSAGE BUT A RAPID WARM UP WILL OCCUR SATURDAY AND CONTINUE SUNDAY WITH A MORE DOWNSLOPE GRADIENT. EMANUEL SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...MEAN ZONAL FLOW ALOFT MONDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY FOR MILD TEMPERATURES AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF PRECIP OVER THE PLAINS. MONDAY AND WEDNESDAY A PAIR OF SHORT WAVES MOVING THROUGH SOUTHERN ALBERTA DRAG A WEAK COLD FRONTS ACROSS THE STATE. ONLY EFFECT WILL BE TO DROP TEMPERATURES A COUPLE DEGREES WITH INCREASED WINDS ALONG THE EAST SLOPES. SOUTHWEST WINDS ACCOMPANYING THESE DISTURBANCES WILL LIMIT PRECIPITATION TO MOUNTAINS WHILE THE PLAINS WILL REMAIN MOSTLY DRY. BY FRIDAY UPPER RIDGE BEGINS BUILDING INTO WESTERN MONTANA FOR A RETURN TO WARMER TEMPERATURES NEARER TO SEASONAL NORMALS. BRITTON && .AVIATION... UPDATED 1145Z VFR CONDITIONS HAVE RETURNED TO ALL TAF SITES EXCEPT KLWT WHERE PRECIPITATION IS STILL OCCURRING. VRF CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL OVER THE NEXT 24 HOURS. HOWEVER WINDS WILL INCREASE IN VELOCITY AND WILL BEGIN TO CAUSING THE FRESHLY FALLEN SNOW TO BLOW AND DRIFT OBSCURING VISIBILITIES DOWN TO POSSIBLE LIFR CONDITIONS. WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO STRENGTHEN THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD ESPECIALLY NEAR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT EVEN AFTER VISIBILITY RETURNS TO VFR CONDITIONS. SUK && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 14 17 36 25 / 70 10 20 20 CTB 13 16 34 24 / 60 10 20 20 HLN 21 14 34 24 / 60 10 30 20 BZN 21 3 26 20 / 60 10 30 20 WEY 15 -3 12 11 / 50 30 60 30 DLN 21 4 24 19 / 30 10 30 30 HVR 13 6 33 21 / 70 10 10 20 LWT 16 3 31 21 / 70 10 20 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... HIGH WIND WATCH FROM SATURDAY MORNING THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING FOR MTZ009-010-048. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST THIS MORNING FOR MTZ012- 014-050-052>055. && SHORT TERM...HOENISCH LONG TERM...SUK AVIATION...SUK WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 546 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 MTZ012-014-050-052>055-271300- CASCADE-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-JUDITH BASIN- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 546 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST. IN ADDITION TO THE SNOW...AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW ARE POSSIBLE. TRAVELERS SHOULD BE PREPARED FOR HAZARDOUS ROAD CONDITIONS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ009-010-048-271300- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 546 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY A HIGH WIND WATCH IS IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY MORNING. WINDS WILL INCREASE AND BECOME GUSTY DURING THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-011-013-015-044>047-049-051-271300- BEAVERHEAD-HILL-CHOUTEAU-MADISON-TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA- BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-FERGUS- 546 AM MST FRI DEC 26 2008 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NO HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED. .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.
Fifteen inches of snow was reported at East Glacier Park 7SW (the Pike Creek SNOTEL site - elevation 5930 feet). Additionally, 13 inches of snow fell at Dupuyer 20WSW (the Badger Pass SNOTEL site - elevation 6900 feet) and 12 inches of snow fell at Babb 6NE (Port of Piegan).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2008Every state in 2008This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, December 2008
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: 145568.