A winter storm brought breezy winds and mainly light snow accumulations to most of northeast Montana with a few isolated locations measuring up to 5 inches.
Every event with a place to put it; 5 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 GGW wrote it up.
A winter storm brought breezy winds and mainly light snow accumulations to most of northeast Montana with a few isolated locations measuring up to 5 inches.
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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 3, 8:57 PM MST, 3 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 857 PM MST SAT DEC 3 2011 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... GOING FORECAST LOOKS GOOD THIS EVENING NO UPDATE PLANNED. RADAR ECHOS ARE BEGINNING TO FILL IN ACROSS PHILLIPS... VALLEY... AND GARFIELD COUNTIES. WINDS HAVE NOT YET BEGUN TO KICK IN BUT SHOULD AROUND MIDNIGHT ALLOWING FOR JUST ENOUGH SHEAR TO FORM SOME WEAK BANDED SNOW OVER THE MISSOURI BREAKS. GAH PREVIOUS SHORT TERM DISCUSSION... A STRONG UPPER HIGH PARKED OFF THE WEST COAST AND AN UPPER LOW CENTERED OVER HUDSON BAY WILL CONTINUE DRIVING A NORTHERLY FLOW ALOFT INTO NORTHEAST MONTANA THROUGH THE SHORT TERM. TONIGHT/SUNDAY...AN EMBEDDED SHORTWAVE ALBERTA CLIPPER SWINGING SOUTHEAST INTO NEMONT AND NORTH DAKOTA SENDS A COLD FRONT SOUTH INTO THE ZONES. MODELS HAVE PLACED THE CLOSED SURFACE LOW CENTER ON TOP OF THE CWA AT 06Z WHICH LOCATES THE INVERTED TROUGH IN SOUTHWESTERN SASKATCHEWAN AND OUR NORTHWEST ZONES. BY 12Z THE SURFACE LOW CENTER WILL BE LOCATED IN SOUTHWEST NORTH DAKOTA... PLACING THE ENHANCED SNOW PRODUCING AREA ACROSS OUR SOUTHERN AND EASTERN ZONES AFTER MIDNIGHT. QPF AMOUNTS FOR TONIGHT ARE MORE SUBSTANTIAL THAN DISPLAYED YESTERDAY...WITH NOW UP TO 4 INCHES OF SNOW POSSIBLE IN SOME LOCATIONS. SNOW RAPIDLY TAPERS OFF FROM THE NORTHWEST SUNDAY MORNING...THEN ENDS BY AFTERNOON IN THE SOUTHEAST. BUT THE CHANGING WIND PROFILES GAIN STRENGTH AFTER MIDNIGHT AND LAST THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING. INHERITED WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW FROM 25-35MPH WINDS STILL LOOKS GOOD...WITH THE ADDITION OF PHILLIPS AND PETROLEUM COUNTIES. THE NORTHERLY FLOW AND OVERCAST WILL KEEP TEMPERATURES STEADY ON SUNDAY...SETTING UP A COLD NIGHT FOR SUNDAY NIGHT. SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY...A SURFACE HIGH AND CLEARING SKIES SLIDE NORTHEAST INTO NEMONT. WITH 1000MB-500MB THICKNESS HEIGHTS DROPPING TO AROUND 505DM AT 00Z MONDAY...FEW LOWS WILL BE ABLE TO RISE ABOVE 0*F. LIGHT WINDS COULD ALLOW FREEZING FOG TO DEVELOP OVERNIGHT AND LAST INTO MONDAY MORNING. LATER IN THE DAY A WARM FRONT FROM THE NORTHWEST NUDGES INTO OUR WESTERN ZONES...BUT LIGHT WINDS AND SNOW ON THE GROUND WILL NOT ALLOW FOR MUCH WARMING. HIGHS SHOULD BE SIMILAR TO THOSE ON SUNDAY. SCT .LONG TERM...MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY... THE GOING FORECAST AS DISCUSSED BELOW IS IN EXCELLENT SHAPE FEATURING A STRONG DISTURBANCE / ARCTIC PUSH ON WEDNESDAY INTO THURSDAY. ONLY CHANGE WAS TO TREND POPS IN LINE WITH CLIMATOLOGY FOR NEXT SATURDAY AS THERE IS GROWING SUPPORT IN THE MODELS/ENSEMBLES FOR ANOTHER DISTURBANCE TO PUSH THROUGH. THE REMAINDER OF THE FORECAST WAS BASICALLY UNCHANGED. GILCHRIST PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION...FORECAST PERIOD OPENS WITH UPPER RIDGE FOLDING OVER WESTERN CANADA AND CHINOOK SPREADING WARM AIR FROM ALBERTA INTO MONTANA ON TUESDAY. WARMING WILL BE SHORT LIVED WITH POLAR JET BEING PUSHED SOUTH BY ARCTIC LOW MOVING FROM NORTHERN ALASKA INTO HUDSON BAY. COLD FRONT DROPS INTO MONTANA TUESDAY NIGHT WITH STRONG THERMAL DYNAMIC BUT MOISTURE LIMITED MINIMIZING CHANCES OF SNOW. AS COLD AIR CONTINUES TO SLIDE INTO MONTANA THE AVAILABLE MOISTURE IMPROVES AS IT POOLS AGAINST THE MOUNTAINS OF WESTERN AND SOUTHERN MONTANA. UPSLOPE WILL ADD LIFT FOR SNOW DEVELOPING ACROSS CENTRAL MONTANA WEDNESDAY NIGHT INTO THURSDAY. TEMPERATURES BECOME QUITE FRIGID BY THURSDAY AS THE ARCTIC BUILDS SOUTHWARD. TEMPERATURES BEGIN TO MODERATE INTO THE END OF THE WEEK AS RIDGE PUSHES ACROSS THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. MODELS DIFFERING ON THE EXTENT OF RIDGING AND HOW QUICKLY ARCTIC MOVES OUT ARCTIC BUT DID TREND TEMPERATURES WARMER BY NEXT SATURDAY. EBERT && .AVIATION... CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO THICKEN AND LOWER ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA THIS EVENING AS ANOTHER COLD FRONT DROPS SOUTHWARD OUT OF CANADA. SNOWFALL AND SUBSEQUENT IFR CONDITIONS CURRENTLY AT KGGW WILL SPREAD TO THE OTHER TAF SITE BY 06Z (11 PM). GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AT 10 TO 15 KTS WILL CREATE SOME CONCERNS FOR BLOWING SNOW. BLOWING SNOW WILL BECOME A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN BY 5 AM OR SO WHEN NORTHERLY WINDS PICK UP AT 20 TO 30KTS. PRECIPITATION WILL TAPER FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE SUNDAY MORNING THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST SUNDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS... SHERIDAN...WESTERN ROOSEVELT...PETROLEUM...GARFIELD...MCCONE... NORTHERN PHILLIPS...SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS...NORTHERN VALLEY... EASTERN ROOSEVELT. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST SUNDAY FOR RICHLAND... DAWSON...PRAIRIE...WIBAUX. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 257 PM MST SAT DEC 3 2011 MTZ016>027-059>062-041200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 257 PM MST SAT DEC 3 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM TODAY THROUGH 5 PM SUNDAY FOR SNOW AND BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW WITH REDUCED VISIBILITIES FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. 1 TO 4 INCHES OF ACCUMULATION WILL BE POSSIBLE. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY SUNDAY NIGHT THE COMBINATION OF ARCTIC AIR AND GUSTY WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS. A BRIEF WARM UP IS EXPECTED MONDAY INTO TUESDAY BEFORE ANOTHER ARCTIC COLD FRONT SLIDES SOUTHWARD OUT OF CANADA TUESDAY NIGHT INTO WEDNESDAY. TEMPERATURES COULD DIP BELOW ZERO FOR MINIMUMS... BUT SHOULD BEGIN TO MODERATE BY FRIDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 winter storm, 2 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Weather spotter reported 5 inches of new snow at Zortman with some drifting.
Several cooperative observers reported snow accumulations of 0.5 to 1.5 inches across the county.
Weather spotters reported 1 to 1.5 inches of snow accumulation across the county.
Cooperative observer reported 5 inches of new snow accumulation at the Bloomfield COOP site in southern McCone county.
Cooperative observer reported 5 inches of new snow accumulation at the Carlyle 13W COOP site in southern Wibaux county.
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, December 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: 357691, 357700, 357701, 357696, 357698.