On February 8 and 9, another winter storm moved east across Western Montana and produced heavy snowfall and gusty winds in many locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
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 MSO wrote it up.
On February 8 and 9, another winter storm moved east across Western Montana and produced heavy snowfall and gusty winds in many locations.
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 Feb 7, 10:11 AM MST, 3 hours 49 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
1011 AM MST THU FEB 7 2008
DISCUSSION...LATEST RADAR DATA SHOWS SIGNIFICANT LINES OF SNOW
SHOWERS (SNOW BANDS) DEVELOPING ACROSS THE MISSOULA/BITTERROOT
VALLEYS AND ALSO THE FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS. THE SNOW AND
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORIES THERE HAVE BEEN UPGRADED TO WINTER STORM
WARNINGS. WINDS IN BOTH AREAS WILL BE INCREASING SIGNIFICANTLY
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF HOURS AS A COLD FRONT APPROACHES FROM THE
WEST. LOCAL WHITEOUT CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED THROUGH THIS
AFTERNOON. A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR TRAVEL
ROUTES IN THE BUTTE/BLACKFOOT REGION.
THE REST OF THE FORECAST APPEARS TO BE RIGHT ON TRACK.
AVIATION...PLEASE SEE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION.
&&
PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 405 AM MST THU FEB 7 2008/
DISCUSSION...VERY ACTIVE WEATHER EXPECTED UNTIL THE END OF THIS
WEEK. WEATHER OF GREATEST CONCERN IS HAPPENING CURRENTLY AND
EXPECTED TO CONTINUE INTO TONIGHT. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM IS
TRACKING OVER THE NORTHERN ROCKIES AND WILL BRING HEAVY SNOW AND
STRONG WINDS TO THE REGION. WITH WIND AND SNOW...WHITE OUT
CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER MUCH OF CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN
MONTANA. PLEASE SEE GTFWSWMSO AND GTFNPWMSO OR
HTTP://WEATHER.GOV/MISSOULA FOR MORE DETAILS REGARDING YOUR AREA.
AFTER THE CURRENT TROUGH PASSES...A MOIST NORTHWEST FLOW WILL
DOMINATE THE NORTHERN ROCKIES FOR FRIDAY. STRONG ISENTROPIC LIFT
AND UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE WILL HELP TO PRODUCE HEFTY AMOUNTS OF
MOUNTAIN SNOW THROUGH SATURDAY. AREA OF INCREASED INSTABILITY
WILL PRODUCE STRONG SNOW SHOWERS ALLOWING FOR VALLEYS TO SEE
ACCUMULATING SNOW MAINLY ON SATURDAY.
A WEAK...DIRTY AND LOW AMPLITUDE RIDGE LOOKS TO PASS LATE SATURDAY
AND INTO SUNDAY. THIS RIDGE WILL LIMIT SNOW SHOWERS TO THE
MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA FOR THE END
OF THE WEEKEND.
MODELS SEEM TO BE IN GOOD AGREEMENT UNTIL THE BEGINNING OF NEXT
WEEK. THE UPPER LEVEL FLOW LOOKS TO BECOME ZONAL WITH IMPULSES
DRIVING THOUGH THE REGION FOR MOST OF THE WEEK. SNOW WILL CONTINUE
TO BE POSSIBLE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK...THOUGH THE TIMING OF SPECIFIC
DISTURBANCES IS STILL UNCERTAIN.
AVIATION...STRONG SURFACE WINDS AND PRECIPITATION WILL BE CAUSE
FOR CONCERN THROUGH THE NEXT 24 HOURS. PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO
BRING REDUCED VISIBILITIES AND LOWERED CEILINGS TO MOST OF CENTRAL
IDAHO AND WESTERN MONTANA.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST FRIDAY FOR BUTTE/BLACKFOOT
REGION.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT
FOR BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION-
LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION-WEST
GLACIER REGION.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 11 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS-LOWER CLARK FORK REGION-
POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE REGION-WEST GLACIER REGION.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 3 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
FLATHEAD/MISSION VALLEYS.
HEAVY SNOW WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION.
ID...WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING ABOVE 4500 FEET
FOR EASTERN LEMHI COUNTY.
WINTER STORM WATCH FROM LATE TONIGHT THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT
FOR NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER
MOUNTAINS.
WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR NORTHERN
CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS-SOUTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING FOR
OROFINO/GRANGEVILLE REGION.
WIND ADVISORY FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO 10 PM PST FRIDAY FOR
LOWER HELLS CANYON/SALMON RIVER REGION.
SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW ADVISORY UNTIL 8 PM MST THIS EVENING FOR
WESTERN LEMHI COUNTY.
&&
SHORT TERM...HENRY
LONG TERM....99
AVIATION...99PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
1041 AM MST THU FEB 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0304 AM BLIZZARD GRANGEVILLE 45.93N 116.12W
02/07/2008 IDAHO ID MESONET
GRANGEVILLE AIRPORT REPORTED SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 MPH
WITH GUSTS OF 40 TO 60 MPH FROM 204 AM PST TO 849 AM PST.
PEAK WIND GUSTS OCCURRED AT 728 AM PST AND 828 AM PST UP
TO 62 MPH. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORATION CLOSED HIGHWAY 95
ACROSS THE CAMAS PRAIRIE DUE TO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS.
0500 AM HEAVY SNOW HAUGAN 47.38N 115.40W
02/07/2008 M9.0 INCH MINERAL MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
HAUGAN WEIGH STATION REPORTED 8 INCHES NEW SNOW. I-90
FROM ST. REGIS TO LOOKOUT PASS DECLARED EMERGENCY TRAVEL
ONLY DUE TO HEAVY SNOW AND POOR VISIBILITY IN BLOWING
SNOW. LOOKOUT PASS REPORTED 9 INCHES OF NEW SNOW.
&&
FELSSCHPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
103 PM MST THU FEB 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 PM BLIZZARD 13 NE ESSEX 48.41N 113.41W
02/07/2008 FLATHEAD MT DEPT OF HIGHWAYS
MARIAS PASS CLOSED DUE TO BY THE MONTANA DOT FOR STRONG
WINDS AND BLOWING SNOW.
1230 PM BLIZZARD 5 WNW HELMVILLE 46.89N 113.06W
02/07/2008 POWELL MT TRAINED SPOTTER
3-4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW, SUSTAINED 40 MPH WINDS AND
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS FROM BLOWING SNOW.
1230 PM HEAVY SNOW 3 WSW HAMILTON 46.23N 114.21W
02/07/2008 E11.0 INCH RAVALLI MT TRAINED SPOTTER
REPORT OF 11 INCHES ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF HAMILTON
&&
FOSTERPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
120 PM MST THU FEB 07 2008
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1230 PM BLIZZARD 5 WNW HELMVILLE 46.89N 113.06W
02/07/2008 POWELL MT TRAINED SPOTTER
3-4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW, SUSTAINED 40 MPH WINDS AND
WHITEOUT CONDITIONS FROM BLOWING SNOW.
1230 PM HEAVY SNOW 3 WSW HAMILTON 46.23N 114.21W
02/07/2008 E11.0 INCH RAVALLI MT TRAINED SPOTTER
REPORT OF 11 INCHES ON THE SOUTHWEST SIDE OF HAMILTON
&&
FOSTERThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
The automated weather station at Lookout Pass reported 14.5 inches of new snow. A severe weather spotter in DeBorgia reported 8 inches of new snow. In addition, wind gusts between 20 mph and 36 mph were observed at serveral weather observation sites in the area.
The Montana Department of Transportation reported 10 to 12 inches of new snow at Lost Trail Pass. The automated weather station at Lolo Pass reported 7 inches of new snow. In addition, wind gusts between 20 mph and 40 mph were observed at serveral weather observation sites in the area.
Automated weather stations in the Glacier National Park area reported wind gusts to 25 mph and wind chills that were between -20 degrees and -27 degrees. In addition, a weather observer in Essex reported 6 inches of new snowfall accumulations.
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, February 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: 69395, 69397, 69403.