Heavy Snow in Montana, May 21 to 22, 2008

Name: Heavy Snow in Montana, May 21 to 22, 2008
Start: 2008-05-21T14:00
End: 2008-05-22T23:00
Location: Montana

May 21 to 22, 2008 · NWS BYZ · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Absaroka and Crazy Mountains. storm total of 16 inches), 9 inches 3NNW Cooke City(Fisher Creek Snotel with a storm total of 11 inches), 16 inches at Mystic Lake, 15 inches at the Cole Creek Snotel, and 18 inches at the Placer Basin Snotel.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 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: 2

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 BYZ wrote it up.

A very moist and unstable storm system produced heavy snow above 7000 feet in the Beartooth...Absaroka and Crazy Mountains. The following snow amounts were received: 9 inches 13 ENE Wilsall(South Fork Shields Snotel...storm total of 16 inches), 9 inches 3NNW Cooke City(Fisher Creek Snotel with a storm total of 11 inches), 16 inches at Mystic Lake, 15 inches at the Cole Creek Snotel, and 18 inches at the Placer Basin Snotel.

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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at May 21, 8:26 AM MST, 5 hours 34 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 21, 8:26 AM MST, 5 hours 34 minutes before

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Hazardous weather outlook, May 21, 4:36 AM MST, 9 hours 24 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
536 AM MDT WED MAY 21 2008

MTZ028>042-056>058-063>068-WYZ098-099-221145-
SOUTHERN WHEATLAND-MUSSELSHELL-TREASURE-NORTHERN ROSEBUD-CUSTER-
FALLON-NORTHERN STILLWATER-YELLOWSTONE-POWDER RIVER-CARTER-
SOUTHERN BIG HORN-EASTERN CARBON-NORTHERN PARK-
NORTHERN SWEET GRASS-GOLDEN VALLEY-RED LODGE FOOTHILLS-
NORTHERN BIG HORN-SOUTHERN ROSEBUD-JUDITH GAP-PARADISE VALLEY-
LIVINGSTON AREA-BEARTOOTH FOOTHILLS-ABSAROKA/BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS-
CRAZY MOUNTAINS-NORTHEAST BIG HORN MOUNTAINS-SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS-
536 AM MDT WED MAY 21 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL
MONTANA...SOUTH CENTRAL MONTANA...SOUTHEAST MONTANA AND NORTH
CENTRAL WYOMING.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

SNOWMELT CONTINUES TO CAUSE AREA STREAMS AND RIVERS TO RUN HIGH
WITH A FLOOD WARNING CONTINUING FOR THE YELLOWSTONE RIVER AT
LIVINGSTON. WHILE COOLER TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO MOVE INTO
THE AREA WHICH WILL SLOW DOWN THE SNOWMELT...A STORM SYSTEM WILL
BRING WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION BY LATE TODAY. THIS PRECIPITATION
WILL BE HEAVY AT TIMES AND COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE INCREASED LEVELS
ON RIVERS AND STREAMS.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY

THE STORM SYSTEM WILL CONTINUE TO IMPACT THE AREA THROUGH FRIDAY
AND SATURDAY WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY RAIN POSSIBLE. EVEN THOUGH THE
SNOWMELT WILL BEGIN TO SLOW DOWN AREA STREAMS AND RIVERS WILL
REMAIN HIGH WITH THE EXPECTED RAINFALL CAUSING MORE WIDESPREAD
IMPACTS. A FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTH
CENTRAL MONTANA FOR THIS STORMS POTENTIAL. FOLLOW FUTURE FORECASTS
AND STATEMENTS AS THIS SITUATION EVOLVES OVER THE COMING DAYS.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER
CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Crazy Mountains

When: May 21, 2:00 PM MST to May 22, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Crazy Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.923, -110.104 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy Snow, Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains

When: May 21, 2:00 PM MST to May 22, 11:00 PM MST
Where: Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 45.550, -109.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, May 2008

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: 99259, 99260.