A vigorous Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to a large portion of North central Montana. Snow fall amounts of 6 to 12 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 vigorous Pacific storm system brought heavy snow to a large portion of North central Montana. Snow fall amounts of 6 to 12 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 Feb 6, 6:21 PM MST, 39 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 621 PM MST SUN FEB 6 2011 .UPDATE...SENT OUT AN EARLY UPDATE TO ROUTINE PRODUCTS AND THE WINTER WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS TO DELAY THE ONSET OF PRECIPITATION UNTIL LATE THIS EVENING WEST AND LATE TONIGHT CENTRAL AND EAST. SATELLITE/RADAR IMAGERY AND MODELS INDICATE THAT THE BULK OF THE STORM WILL NOT MOVE INTO THE REGION UNTIL LATE SO DID NOT WANT TO HAVE 100 PERCENT POPS IN THE EVENING WHEN PRECIPITATION WAS NOT EXPECTED UNTIL AFTER MIDNIGHT. MPJ && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0000Z. AFTER LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW MOVED ACROSS MOST OF NORTH-CENTRAL AND PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA THIS MORNING...CONDITIONS HAVE IMPROVED BUT ONLY TEMPORARILY. MOIST AND UNSTABLE NORTHWEST FLOW WILL CONTINUE AS AN ARCTIC COLD FRONT DESCENDS ACROSS THE AREA FROM NORTH TO SOUTH LATE THIS EVENING AND TONIGHT. CONFIDENCE IS LOW IN EXACT TIMING OF THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...HOWEVER SNOW IS EXPECTED TO DEVELOP ALONG THE HI-LINE AFTER 03Z AND THEN BECOME MORE WIDESPREAD FURTHER SOUTH AFTER 06Z. WITH THE FRONTAL PASSAGE...WINDS MAY BRIEFLY GUST TO 25KTS AND THEN SHIFT NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY. AS SNOW INCREASES IN INTENSITY AFTER 06Z...EXPECT RAPIDLY DETERIORATING CONDITIONS WITH IFR AND LIFR CONDITIONS DUE TO LOW VISIBILITIES AND CEILINGS. SNOW WILL CONTINUE MODERATE TO HEAVY AT TIMES THROUGH MIDDAY MONDAY AND THEN GRADUALLY TAPER FROM THE NORTHWEST LATER IN THE AFTERNOON. MOUNTAINS WILL REMAIN OBSCURED THROUGH THE PERIOD. MLS && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 445 PM MST SUN FEB 6 2011/ THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH TUESDAY EVENING...QUIET CONDITIONS AT THE PRESENT TIME ACROSS THE REGION AS THE PERSISTENT UPSLOPE SNOW EVENT OVER CENTRAL MONTANA FINALLY ABATED AROUND MIDDAY. WE WILL SEE A FEW HOURS OF JUST MOSTLY CLOUDY SKIES FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE AFTERNOON AS WE AWAIT THE ARRIVAL OF THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM THIS EVENING. LATEST SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS INITIAL ENERGY AND MOISTURE FROM THE APPROACHING TROF BEGINNING TO SLIDE DOWN THE EASTERN FLANK OF THE BROAD HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE ALONG THE PACIFIC COAST AND INTO THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AND FAR WESTERN MT. FORECAST MODELS HAVE MAINTAINED CONSISTENT SOLUTIONS IN BRINGING THE FIRST PUSH OF PRECIPITATION EAST OF THE DIVIDE THIS EVENING AND SPREADING IT ALL THE WAY INTO ERN MT BY MID-MORNING ON MON. THAT SHOULD PRODUCE 2 TO 4 INCHES OF NEW SNOW OVER MUCH OF THE REGION. BEST AREA OF MOISTURE REMAINS OVER CENTRAL AND NORTH CENTRAL MT DURING THE AFTN AND THEN REVERSES COURSE AND MOVES BACK ACROSS THE REGION FROM NORTHEAST TO SOUTHWEST AS SURFACE COLD FRONT PUSHES SOUTHWARD FROM ALBERTA/SASKATCHEWAN. THIS SECOND ROUND OF SNOW SHOULD RESULT IN ANOTHER 4 TO 6 INCHES OVER CENTRAL MT AND THE HILINE WEST OF CHESTER...FOR A TOTAL OF 6 TO 10 INCHES AT LOWER ELEVATIONS AND 18 INCHES OR MORE IN THE MOUNTAINS. CURRENT WINTER STORM WARNINGS FOR THESE AREAS REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TOMORROW AFTERNOON. WITH MOST OF THE MOISTURE CONCENTRATED OVER CENTRAL MT...LESS SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE SOUTHWEST COUNTIES AND HILL AND BLAINE COUNTIES...THOUGH LOCATIONS ABOVE 5000 FT MAY SEE 12 INCHES OR MORE. WARNINGS ABOVE 5000 FT AND WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES BELOW THAT ELEVATION FOR 4 TO 7 INCHES OF SNOW REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH TOMORROW AFTN AS WELL. FORECAST STILL ON TRACK FOR THE SYSTEM TO DISSIPATE AND MOVE OUT OF THE AREA BEGINNING MONDAY NIGHT...WITH GRADUALLY CLEARING SKIES THRU THE DAY ON TUES. TEMPERATURES WILL BE TURNING SHARPLY COLDER STARTING TOMORROW AS THE SURFACE COLD FRONT WILL USHER IN A VERY COLD CANADIAN AIRMASS. HIGHS ON MON WILL ONLY REACH THE SINGE DIGITS AND TEENS FROM GREAT FALLS NORTHWARD WITH MID-UPPER 20S TO THE SOUTH. TEMPS DROP WELL BELOW ZERO OVER THE HILINE AND CENTRAL MT ON TUES MORNING WITH SINGLE DIGITS ELSEWHERE. DESPITE THE CLEARING SKIES ON TUES...THE NEW SNOW COVER AND CANADIAN AIRMASS WILL KEEP HIGHS LIMITED TO THE SINGLE DIGITS TO LOW TEENS ACROSS THE REGION. WARANAUSKAS TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY...A GENERALLY QUIET AND DRY WEATHER PATTERN IS IN STORE FOR THE AREA FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE PERIOD THROUGH FRIDAY. A STRONG UPPER RIDGE WILL BUILD OVER THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY. THE RESULTING NORTHWEST FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA WILL BE DRY WITH THE EXCEPTION BEING THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT SEEING SOME ISOLATED SNOW SHOWERS. THIS PATTERN WILL CONTINUE ON THURSDAY THOUGH THE MODELS DIFFER A BIT. BY FRIDAY THE EUROPEAN MODEL PUTS THE UPPER RIDGE AXIS ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT WHILE THE GFS HAS SHORT WAVE ENERGY BREAKING DOWN THE RIDGE. SATURDAY BRINGS A DEEPENING UPPER TROF APPROACHING THE WEST COAST AND AN INCREASING WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT OVER THE AREA. BOTH MODELS COME BACK INTO A LITTLE BETTER AGREEMENT WITH THE UPPER TROF PUSHING MOISTURE ACROSS THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE SUNDAY AND LIGHT SNOW INCREASING IN INTENSITY AND COVERAGE. WITH FLOW GENERALLY FROM THE WEST...HAVE RAISED POPS ALONG THE ROCKIES AND KEPT POPS ACROSS THE ADJACENT PLAINS SOMEWHAT LOW. TEMPERATURES WILL BE BELOW SEASONAL AVERAGES TO START THE PERIOD BUT AFTERNOON READINGS WILL BE NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES BY LATE IN THE WEEK. EMANUEL/GUSTAFSON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 6 12 -9 9 / 100 100 70 10 CTB 2 5 -13 11 / 100 90 60 10 HLN 17 25 1 10 / 100 90 70 20 BZN 15 28 -1 8 / 90 100 50 10 WEY 9 26 -4 12 / 90 90 70 20 DLN 19 29 3 12 / 90 70 50 10 HVR 1 4 -25 -3 / 90 90 20 10 LWT 8 12 -14 9 / 90 100 60 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR BROADWATER...GALLATIN...JEFFERSON...MADISON... MEAGHER. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY BLAINE...HILL... LIBERTY. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY BEAVERHEAD. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY FOR ELEVATIONS BELOW 5000 FEET FOR BROADWATER...GALLATIN...JEFFERSON... MADISON...MEAGHER. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY CASCADE...CHOUTEAU... JUDITH BASIN. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 5 PM MST MONDAY CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...EASTERN GLACIER...EASTERN PONDERA...EASTERN TETON...FERGUS...NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...TOOLE. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 939 AM MST SUN FEB 6 2011 MTZ008>015-044>055-071200- BEAVERHEAD-NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL- CASCADE-CHOUTEAU-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-MADISON- TOOLE-LIBERTY-EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE- SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 939 AM MST SUN FEB 6 2011 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT NUMEROUS WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS EVENING. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NUMEROUS WINTER WEATHER WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT THROUGH 5 PM MONDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES.
11 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Seven inches of snow fell at East Glacier Park 11SSW (the Pike Creek SNOTEL site - elevation 5928 feet).
Six inches of snow fell at Cut Bank.
Sixteen inches of snow fell at Belt 7E.
Fifteen inches of snow fell at Highwood 9SE.
Ten inches of snow fell at Helena 2SW.
Eight inches of snow fell at Lakeview 14NNE (the Tepee Creek SNOTEL site - elevation 8000 feet).
Seven inches of snow fell at Pendroy 1N.
Seven inches of snow fell at Stanford 3S.
Eight inches of snow fell at Forestgrove 9SE.
Eight inches of snow fell at Basin 6N (the Rocker Peak SNOTEL site - elevation 8000 feet).
Twelve inches of snow fell at Belgrade 14NE (the Brackett Creek SNOTEL site - elevation 7320 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: 278537, 278538, 278539, 278540, 278542, 278544, 278545, 278547, 278548, 278549, 278550.