Strong westerly winds produced high winds in the vicinity of Glacer National Park. wind gusts to 59 mph 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.
Strong westerly winds produced high winds in the vicinity of Glacer National Park. wind gusts to 59 mph 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 Feb 26, 10:45 PM MST, 6 hours 36 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 1045 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 UPDATED AVIATION SECTION .UPDATE... A FEW CHANGES TO THE CURRENT FORECAST. HAVE EXTENDED THE BLIZZARD WARNING AND THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA UNTIL 5 AM SUNDAY MORNING. STRONG WINDS STILL CONTINUE OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT REGION...WITH NUMEROUS ROADS STILL CLOSED PER THE LATEST MONTANA ROAD REPORTS. WINDS ARE STARTING TO DIMINISH OVER THE PLAINS...BUT A FEW WINDER POCKETS ARE STILL POSSIBLE...SO BLOWING SNOW COULD BE A PROBLEM DURING THE OVERNIGHT HOURS. TEMPERATURES GENERALLY LOOK ON TRACK...WITH JUST A FEW MINOR ADJUSTMENTS. A SUMMARY LSR HAS BEEN SENT WITH TODAYS SNOW/WIND REPORTS. LOOKING AHEAD...WE UPGRADED THE WINTER STORM WATCH TO A WINTER STORM WARNING STARTING AT 5 AM SUNDAY FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. SNOW...HEAVY AT TIMES...IS EXPECTED BY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AND THEN CONTINUING INTO TUESDAY. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ARE ALSO POSSIBLE...AND WITH STRONG WINDS EXPECTED ONCE AGAIN SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE...AND THIS IS BEING MONITORED CLOSELY. THE MAIN PROBLEM FOR EARLY NEXT WEEK WILL BE WHEN WILL THE ARCTIC COLD FRONT COME BACK DOWN...AND HOW ARE SOUTH. THE LATEST NAM/GFS MODELS CONTINUE TO DIFFER QUITE A BIT. FOR NOW LEANING MORE TOWARDS THE GFS MODEL...IN WHICH THE COLD AIR SHOULD MOVE BACK INTO NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA ON MONDAY AFTERNOON...ALONG WITH SNOWFALL BECOMING MORE WIDESPREAD OVER THE NORTHERN PLAINS BY MONDAY EVENING. BRUSDA && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0545Z. EXPECT GENERALLY VFR CONDITIONS. SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT WILL BECOME WIDESPREAD BY NOON SUNDAY WITH CONSIDERABLE MOUNTAIN OBSCUREMENT. THESE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH MONDAY EVENING. ALSO OVER THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT EXPECT MVFR/IFR VISIBILITIES IN BLOWING SNOW TO DIMINISH THE REST OF TONIGHT BUT BECOME WIDESPREAD AGAIN LATE SUNDAY. ALSO EXPECT SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS FROM TIME TO TIME OVER NORTHCENTRAL MONTANA WITH LOCAL MVFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES POSSIBLE. BLANK && .HYDROLOGY... FOR THE JEFFERSON RIVER... ICE JAM FLOODING ON THE JEFFERSON RIVER CONTINUES NEAR SILVER STAR IN NORTHWEST MADISON COUNTY. FLOODING CONTINUES TO AFFECT THE JEFFERSON ACRES REGION...THUS THE FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE UNTIL THE FLOOD WATERS HAVE RECEDED. ADDITIONALLY...A SECOND ICE JAM HAS DEVELOPED UPSTREAM OF THE FIRST ICE JAM. SHOULD THIS NEW ICE JAM BREAK...IT COULD POSSIBLY CAUSE THE ORIGINAL ICE JAM TO BREAK AS WELL...CREATING A FLASH FLOODING POTENTIAL DOWNSTREAM. THUS A FLASH FLOOD WATCH HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR A PORTION OF THE JEFFERSON RIVER FROM ABOUT 5 MILES SOUTH OF SILVER STAR...TO WATERLOO. THE WATCH WILL REMAIN IN PLACE UNTIL THE THREAT FOR FLASH FLOODING HAS CEASED. FOR THE MISSOURI RIVER... A NEW ICE JAM HAS DEVELOPED JUST NORTH OF FORT BENTON ON THE MISSOURI RIVER. MINOR FLOODING HAS BEEN REPORTED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF FORT BENTON IN LOW LYING AREAS...THUS A FLOOD WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED. THE SITUATION WILL BE CLOSELY MONITORED AS ADDITIONAL FLOOD HIGHLIGHTS MAY BE REQUIRED SHOULD THE ICE JAM CONTINUE TO GROW OVER THE NEXT DAY OR SO. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 500 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011/ TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY...STRONG WINDS ALOFT WILL GRADUALLY DECREASE TONIGHT AS THE UPPER LEVEL JET SAGS SOUTHWARD AND SHORTWAVE ENERGY EMBEDDED WITHIN WNW FLOW ALOFT MOVES OFF TO THE EAST. AT THE SURFACE...THE LEE-SIDE LOW PRESSURE TROUGH IS BEGINNING TO FILL AND MOVE OFF TO THE EAST ALONG WITH THE UPPER LEVEL ENERGY...AND THIS WILL ALLOW WINDS TO GRADUALLY DECREASE THIS EVENING. STILL EXPECT SEVERAL MORE HRS OF HIGH WINDS AND ASSOCIATED BLIZZARD CONDITIONS ALONG THE ROCKY MTN FRONT AND ADJACENT PLAINS AS FAR EAST AS CUT BANK...WITH GUSTY SW WINDS AND AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW ALSO CONTINUING FARTHER EAST ON THE PLAINS BEFORE MORE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT AND DECREASES IN WIND SPEEDS OCCUR LATER THIS EVENING. CANNOT RULE OUT A FEW SNOW SHOWERS/FLURRIES...ESPECIALLY OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN AND OUT OVER EASTERN ZONES...HOWEVER MOISTURE WILL BE VERY LIMITED. OVERNIGHT LOWS WILL BE CLOSE TO OR JUST UNDER SEASONAL AVERAGES ACROSS MOST OF THE AREA...HOWEVER COLDER AIR TRAPPED IN THE HELENA AND GALLATIN VALLEYS WILL LIKELY SUPPORT OVERNIGHT TEMPERATURES IN THE SINGLE DIGITS UNLESS SOME LATE ARRIVING WINDS CAN MIX DOWN INTO THOSE AREAS THIS EVENING. AN INCREASINGLY MOIST WESTERLY FLOW FROM THE PACIFIC WILL KEEP SKIES MOSTLY CLOUDY SUNDAY AND MONDAY WITH PRECIPITATION INCREASING ALONG PORTIONS OF THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE NORTH OF ROGERS PASS THROUGH THE PERIOD. WHILE INITIALLY LIGHT ON SUNDAY...SNOW WILL INCREASE OVER THESE AREAS SUNDAY NIGHT INTO MONDAY WITH SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIGHER TERRAIN BY LATE MONDAY. MUCH OF THE AREA EAST OF THE ROCKIES WILL SEE GENERALLY DRY CONDITIONS THROUGH AT LEAST MONDAY MORNING. TEMPERATURES CONTINUE TO CLIMB ON SUNDAY WITH MANY LOWER ELEVATION LOCATIONS SEEING HIGHS AROUND FREEZING ON SUNDAY. AN ARCTIC FRONTAL BOUNDARY WILL PUSH BACK SOUTH TO NEAR THE CANADIAN BORDER BY MONDAY MORNING IN RESPONSE TO LOW PRESSURE DEVELOPING OVER THE PACIFIC NW WITH THE FRONT EXPECTED TO PUSH SOUTHWARD INTO NORTH CENTRAL MT MONDAY AFTERNOON. TEMPERATURES WILL FINALLY CLIMB TO NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES ON MONDAY FOR MOST AREAS AHEAD OF THE FRONTAL BOUNDARY. HOENISCH MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH SATURDAY NIGHT...MODELS CONTINUE TO BE IN FAIRLY GOOD AGREEMENT THROUGH MOST OF THIS PERIOD. AN UPPER LEVEL RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES WITH AN UPPER LEVEL LOW PRESSURE TROUGH OFF THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST WILL KEEP A MOIST ANTICYCLONIC WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE TFX CWA THROUGH THE PERIOD. A SERIES OF SHORTWAVE TROUGHS WILL ALSO BE EJECTED FROM THE UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AND MOVE OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. THIS PATTERN WILL GENERALLY KEEP SNOW LIKELY IN THE MOUNTAINS THROUGH THE PERIOD WITH A CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION OVER THE PLAINS. THE FIRST SHORTWAVE WILL BE EXITING THE AREA MONDAY NIGHT INTO TUESDAY. IN THE WAKE OF THIS SHORTWAVE...A CANADIAN COLD FRONT WILL MOVE SOUTH OVER THE PLAINS OF NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA...SHIFTING WINDS MORE NORTHERLY AND USHERING ANOTHER ROUND OF COLD AIR. THE RESULTING OVERRUNNING PATTERN WILL BRING A GOOD CHANCE OF SNOW TO THE PLAINS...AS HIGH TEMPERATURES ON TUESDAY FALL ABOUT 20 DEGREES FROM THOSE ON MONDAY. HOWEVER...THE COLD AIR WILL LIKELY REMAIN OUT OF THE SOUTHWEST MONTANA VALLEYS...AS TEMPERATURES THERE REMAIN NEAR NORMAL WITH LESS OF A CHANCE FOR PRECIPITATION. AS THE NEXT SHORTWAVE APPROACHES THE AREA TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY...THE MOIST FLOW ALOFT WILL SHIFT MORE SOUTHWESTERLY. THE COLD FRONT WILL ALSO RETREAT TO THE NORTHEAST...ALLOWING TEMPERATURES TO AT LEAST APPROACH NORMAL LEVELS OVER THE PLAINS. HOWEVER...WITH THE PASSAGE OF THIS SHORTWAVE THURSDAY NIGHT INTO FRIDAY...THE COLD FRONT WILL SAG SOUTH ONCE AGAIN AND TEMPERATURES OVER THE PLAINS WILL COOL SIGNIFICANTLY. ANOTHER SHORTWAVE WILL APPROACH THE AREA BEGINNING FRIDAY NIGHT...WHICH WILL SET THE AFOREMENTIONED PATTERN OF EVENTS IN MOTION AGAIN. COULSTON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 14 33 22 40 / 10 10 10 30 CTB 9 28 21 28 / 0 10 10 80 HLN 12 33 18 42 / 10 10 10 20 BZN 9 32 16 38 / 20 10 10 10 WEY 1 19 7 27 / 20 30 40 40 DLN 13 30 17 36 / 0 10 10 10 HVR 13 25 16 28 / 20 20 10 30 LWT 16 30 18 37 / 20 10 10 20 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY BLAINE...CASCADE... CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...CHOUTEAU...EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON...FERGUS...HILL...JUDITH BASIN... LIBERTY...TOOLE. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 AM SUNDAY TO NOON MST TUESDAY NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. BLIZZARD WARNING UNTIL 5 AM MST SUNDAY EASTERN GLACIER... NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. FLASH FLOOD WATCH THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON FOR PORTIONS OF THE JEFFERSON RIVER IN NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY...FROM NORTH OF TWIN BRIDGES TO WATERLOO. FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 10 AM SUNDAY FOR PORTIONS OF THE JEFFERSON RIVER IN NORTHERN MADISON COUNTY...BETWEEN TWIN BRIDGES AND SILVER STAR. FLOOD WARNING UNTIL 630 PM SUNDAY EVENING FOR PORTIONS OF THE MISSOURI RIVER NEAR FORT BENTON. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 MTZ009-048-280345- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO COVER THE REST OF TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR SUNDAY THROUGH TUESDAY MORNING. AN ARCTIC FRONT WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE MONDAY OR MONDAY NIGHT...BRINGING A RETURN TO MUCH COLDER CONDITIONS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ010-280345- EASTERN GLACIER- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE BLIZZARD WARNING HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO COVER THE REST OF TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY MORE SNOW IS EXPECTED MONDAY AFTERNOON AND THIS SNOW COULD LAST INTO TUESDAY. ANOTHER ARCTIC FRONT IS EXPECTED TO MOVE THROUGH THE AREA MONDAY AFTERNOON OR EVENING. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THE FRONT COMBINED WITH THE SNOW MIGHT NECESSITATE THE ISSUING OF MORE WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ008-052>055-280345- BEAVERHEAD-JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER TONIGHT IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE PROBABILITY OF WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ013-280345- CHOUTEAU- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO COVER THE REST OF TONIGHT. THE FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FORT BENTON AREA CONTINUES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE FLOOD WARNING FOR THE FORT BENTON AREA WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST INTO EARLY SUNDAY EVENING. THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE AREA WILL LIKELY BRING SNOW TO AREA MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF COLD TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE HIGHLIGHTS FOR WINTER WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ015-280345- MADISON- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH AND FLOOD WARNING CONTINUE FOR THE JEFFERSON RIVER IN NORTHWEST MADISON COUNTY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE FLASH FLOOD WATCH WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH SUNDAY AFTERNOON. THE FLOOD WARNING WILL CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH MOST OF SUNDAY MORNING. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ011-012-014-044>047-049>051-280345- HILL-CASCADE-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- 836 PM MST SAT FEB 26 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR BLOWING SNOW HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO COVER THE REST OF TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM TO AFFECT THE AREA WILL LIKELY BRING SNOW TO AREA MONDAY THROUGH TUESDAY WITH ANOTHER ROUND OF COLD TEMPERATURES MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. THIS SITUATION WILL NEED TO BE MONITORED FOR POSSIBLE HIGHLIGHTS FOR WINTER WEATHER. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
A wind gust to 59 mph was reported at East Glacier Park 8SE (the Deep Creek RAWS site - elevation 5341 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, February 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: 282101.