Montana, 2010

Winter Storm in Montana, November 14 to 15, 2010

November 14 to 15, 2010 · NWS BYZ · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

A moist and unstable northwest flow aloft brought significant snow accumulations to the Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains and foothills locations.

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
3

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 moist and unstable northwest flow aloft brought significant snow accumulations to the Absaroka/Beartooth Mountains and foothills locations.

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 Nov 14, 9:36 AM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 14, 9:36 AM MST, 2 hours 24 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 14, 3:45 AM MST, 8 hours 15 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

3 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains

When
November 14, 12:00 PM MST to November 15, 12:00 PM MST
Where
Absarokee / Beartooth Mountains forecast zone
Reported by
SNOTEL
Coordinates
45.550, -109.722 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Cole Creek Snotel received 12 of snow while Monument Peak received 11.

Winter Storm, Red Lodge Foothills

When
November 14, 6:00 PM MST to November 15, 9:00 AM MST
Where
Red Lodge Foothills forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter
Coordinates
45.227, -109.028 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Areas just south of Red Lodge received 7-8 of snow.

Winter Storm, Southern Big Horn

When
November 14, 6:17 PM MST to November 15, 8:00 AM MST
Where
Southern Big Horn forecast zone
Reported by
Trained Spotter

The higher terrain of Southern Big Horn County received 12-14 of snow.

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 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, November 2010

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: 266044, 266043, 266042.