A strong Pacific storm brought widespread snow to North Central Montana. Snow amounts up to 14 inches 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 Pacific storm brought widespread snow to North Central Montana. Snow amounts up to 14 inches 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 Apr 29, 2:54 AM MST, 1 hour 6 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 354 AM MDT FRI APR 29 2011 .DISCUSSION... FRIDAY THROUGH SUNDAY...ACTIVE WEATHER PERIOD FOR THE NEXT TWENTY FOUR HOURS AS A CANADIAN COLD FRONT PUSHES DOWN ACROSS THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT AND QUICKLY SPREADS OUT OVER THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA. DECENT MOISTURE FLOW ALOFT WILL COMBINE WITH THIS SYSTEM TO ALLOW FOR DECENT SNOWFALL RATES ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA THROUGH THE DAY FRIDAY. THANKFULLY THE SYSTEM WILL BE QUICK MOVING AND MUCH OF THE SNOWFALL SHOULD DIMINISH WITHIN 18 HOURS OF ONSET. TEMPERATURES ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA WILL BE LOW ENOUGH TO ALLOW SNOWFALL TO ACCUMULATE. MULTIPLE WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS ARE ISSUED FOR THIS SYSTEM...WITH MOST LOCATIONS ACROSS NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA ABOVE 4000 FEET IN A WINTER STORM WARNING...WITH ELEVATIONS BELOW 4000 FEET IN A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY. SOUTHWEST MONTANA WILL BE RELATIVELY UNAFFECTED BY THIS SYSTEM AND WILL CONTINUE TO SEE UNSTABLE WEATHER CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE AREA. SCATTERED SHOWERS WILL RETURN TO THE REST OF THE AREA BY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY AS TEMPERATURES QUICKLY REBOUND BEHIND THE FAST MOVING COLD FRONT. UNSTABLE WESTERLY FLOW WILL CONTINUE WITH WEAK EMBEDDED DISTURBANCES MOVING THROUGH THE AREA. SUK SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY...THE AIRMASS WILL BE SLIGHTLY UNSETTLED SUNDAY NIGHT AS NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT CONTINUES. A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST WILL MOVE EAST DURING THE NIGHT AND WILL BE OVER THE ROCKIES MONDAY...ALONG WITH WARM AND DRY CONDITIONS. ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE TROF WILL BE OVER THE WEST COAST MONDAY AND MOVE OVER THE ROCKIES MONDAY NIGHT. MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROF WILL SPREAD ACROSS THE ZONES BUT OVERALL PRECIPITATION TOTALS WILL REMAIN LOW. HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT WILL BEGIN TO BUILD AGAIN BY TUESDAY NIGHT AND A HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE WILL DOMINATE THE WEATHER INTO FRIDAY. HOWEVER...ANOTHER LOW PRESSURE TROF WILL BE MOVING THROUGH THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST FRIDAY EVENING AND BRING MOISTURE ACROSS THE ROCKIES BY LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. ZELZER && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0515Z. VFR CONDITIONS DOMINATE ACROSS MUCH OF THE FORECAST AREA THIS EVENING...THOUGH SOME SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE THAT WILL LOWER VSBY AND CIGS THROUGH THE NIGHT. WINDS WILL REMAIN LIGHT TONIGHT BUT STRENGTHEN FRIDAY. CIGS WILL LOWER DURING THE DAY FRIDAY...WITH SNOW DEVELOPING ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA COMBINED WITH WINDS WILL ALLOW FOR VERY LOW VSBY POSSIBLE TOWARDS THE END OF THE PERIOD. HAVE LOWERED THE CIGS AND VSBY SOME...BUT THIS MAY STILL BE WAY TOO OPTIMISTIC. --SCHOTT && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 39 26 47 32 / 100 90 20 20 CTB 36 26 50 31 / 100 40 30 30 HLN 40 28 51 31 / 60 70 20 20 BZN 39 22 50 24 / 50 70 20 20 WEY 31 13 36 12 / 80 60 40 20 DLN 39 23 48 25 / 30 30 20 10 HVR 43 30 57 34 / 80 50 30 20 LWT 38 24 45 27 / 90 90 20 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 AM MDT SATURDAY EASTERN GLACIER...EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON...LIBERTY...TOOLE. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT SATURDAY NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM MDT SATURDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 4000 FEET FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...CHOUTEAU...FERGUS. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM MDT SATURDAY CASCADE...JUDITH BASIN...MEAGHER. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 AM MDT SATURDAY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...CHOUTEAU...FERGUS. && SHORT TERM...SUK LONG TERM...ZELZER AVIATION...SCHOTT WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 945 PM MDT THU APR 28 2011 MTZ011-014-045-047-052-053-291200- HILL-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-LIBERTY-BLAINE-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER- 945 PM MDT THU APR 28 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A COLD AND MOIST PACIFIC STORM SYSTEM WILL MOVE ACROSS THE REGION LATER TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY NIGHT. SNOW LEVELS WILL LOWER TO THE PLAINS AND VALLEY FLOORS TONIGHT WITH PERIODS OF WET SNOW POSSIBLE FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. ACCUMULATIONS OF 1 TO 4 INCHES ARE POSSIBLE IN THE MOUNTAINS WITH ACCUMULATIONS UP TO A COUPLE OF INCHES POSSIBLE MAINLY ON GRASSY AREAS AT LOWER ELEVATIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ010-013-044-046-049-051-291200- EASTERN GLACIER-CHOUTEAU-TOOLE-EASTERN PONDERA-EASTERN TETON- FERGUS- 945 PM MDT THU APR 28 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A WINTER STORM WATCH CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ008-015-055-291200- BEAVERHEAD-MADISON-GALLATIN- 945 PM MDT THU APR 28 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW IS IN EFFECT THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A PERIOD OF SNOW IS EXPECTED LATER FRIDAY INTO FRIDAY NIGHT. VALLEYS COULD SEE A COUPLE OF INCHES OF SNOW WHILE THE MOUNTAINS COULD SEE 5 TO 10 INCHES OF SNOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. MTZ009-012-048-050-054-291200- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-CASCADE- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-JUDITH BASIN-MEAGHER- 945 PM MDT THU APR 28 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW THROUGH TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR FRIDAY AND FRIDAY NIGHT. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
6 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Six inches of snow fell at Babb 11WSW (the Many Glacier SNOTEL site - elevation 4900 feet).
Ten inches of snow fell at Marysville 2SW (the Great Divide Ski Area).
Fourteen inches of snow fell at Bynum 24W (the Mount Lockhart SNOTEL site - elevation 6400 feet).
Eleven inches of snow fell at Basin.
Eight inches of snow fell at Neihart 21W.
Thirteen inches of snow fell at Belgrade 13ENE (the Sacajawea SNOTEL site - elevation 6550 feet).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2011
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: 299784, 299785, 299786, 299787, 299788, 299789.