A disturbance aloft brought heavy snow to portions of the Rocky Mountain Front. Snow amounts up to 10 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 disturbance aloft brought heavy snow to portions of the Rocky Mountain Front. Snow amounts up to 10 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 Mar 21, 3:00 AM MST, 2 hours earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 400 AM MDT WED MAR 21 2012 .DISCUSSION... TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...SATELLITE INDICATES NEARLY ZONAL FLOW ACROSS THE ZONES WITH THE NEXT WEATHER SYSTEM OUT OVER THE PACIFIC. THE WESTERLY FLOW WILL KEEP SOME LIGHT SNOW ACROSS THE ROCKIES AND WILL CONTINUE WITH THE CURRENT TIMING OF THE ADVISORY. SOME WEAK SURFACE PRESSURE RISES WILL CONTINUE TO THE NORTH. IN ADDITION...WEAK RIDGING WILL MOVE THE JET NORTH AND MID LEVEL WINDS WILL WEAKEN THROUGH THE DAY. SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT AHEAD OF THE TROF IN THE PACIFIC WILL BE OVER THE ZONES TONIGHT AND BRING BRISK SOUTHWEST FLOW BY THURSDAY MORNING ACROSS THE CENTRAL ZONES. A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROF TO THE WEST WILL CROSS THE ZONES THURSDAY. THE AIRMASS WILL BECOME SLIGHTLY UNSTABLE DURING THE AFTERNOON AND THE COLD FRONT PASSAGE SHOULD CAUSE SOME LIFT. HOWEVER...WARMER TEMPS ALOFT SHOULD INHIBIT ANY DEVELOPMENT BE BEYOND SHOWERS. THE AIRMASS COOLS LATE THURSDAY AND THURSDAY NIGHT BEHIND THE FRONT. CURRENT FRONTAL TIMING PUTS IT THROUGH KGTF LATE THURSDAY AFTERNOON OR EARLY EVENING. ZELZER FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY...INCREASED POPS FOR FRIDAY NIGHT AND SATURDAY AS A WEAK SHORTWAVE EMBEDDED WITHIN SOUTHWEST FLOW ALOFT MOVES THROUGH CENTRAL MONTANA. MODELS ALSO SHOW A WEAK SURFACE LOW OVER FAR EASTERN MONTANA WHICH WILL ALLOW FOR NORTHERLY SURFACE WINDS AND UPSLOPE OVER NORTH-CENTRAL MONTANA. WITH OVERNIGHT LOWS FRIDAY AROUND FREEZING THERE COULD BE A VERY LIGHT MIX OF SNOW AND DRIZZLE. TEMPERATURES WILL BE NEAR SEASONAL AVERAGES ON SATURDAY AND ANY PRECIPITATION IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS SHOULD BE RAIN WITH SNOW SHOWERS IN THE MOUNTAINS. DRIER CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED ON SUNDAY WITH HIGHS GENERALLY ABOVE AVERAGE. CHANGES MAY BE IN STORE FOR THE EARLY PART OF NEXT WEEK AS AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE MOVES INTO THE SIERRA NEVADAS AND DEEPENS AS IT PUSHES INTO THE NORTHERN ROCKIES. AMPLE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS SYSTEM WILL BRING INCREASED PRECIP CHANCES FIRST SOUTHWEST MONTANA ON MONDAY AND THEN INTO CENTRAL AND NORTH- CENTRAL MONTANA THROUGH TUESDAY. THE MODELS HINT AT A CUT-OFF LOW DEVELOPING IN WYOMING AND THEN POSSIBLY MOVING INTO EASTERN MONTANA ON TUESDAY. THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN PLACEMENT OF THIS LOW...HOWEVER HAVE RAISED POPS A FAIR AMOUNT FOR MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH CHANCE POPS IN THE PLAINS AND VALLEYS AND LIKELIES IN THE MOUNTAINS. THE FORECAST AREA WILL BE ON THE BACKSIDE OF THE LOW WITH NORTH-NORTHEASTERLY SURFACE WINDS LEADING TO UPSLOPE FLOW IN THE NORTH-CENTRAL PLAINS. AS FOR PRECIPITATION TYPE...THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AS MUCH COLDER AIR WITH THIS SYSTEM SO ON TUESDAY AM EXPECTING MORE OF A RAIN EVENT IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS WITH MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL. WILL CLOSELY MONITOR AND UPDATE ACCORDINGLY. THE SYSTEM WILL DEPART ON WEDNESDAY AND DRIER CONDITIONS WITH SEASONAL TEMPERATURES ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH MID- WEEK. MLV && .AVIATION... UPDATED 0500Z. VFR CONDITIONS TO LIKELY CONTINUE AT LEAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY EVENING...AS A STRONG AND MOIST WESTERLY FLOW ALOFT KEEPS MID/HIGH LEVEL CLOUDINESS WITH MOUNTAIN TOP OBSCURING PRECIPITATION OVER THE AREA THROUGH THE PERIOD. BREEZY SOUTHWESTERLY SURFACE WINDS ACROSS THE AREA WILL INCREASE SOMEWHAT AGAIN ON WEDNESDAY...BUT THEY WILL NOT BE QUITE AS STRONG AS TODAY. THE DOWNSLOPE WINDS MAY BE LIGHT ENOUGH ACROSS THE EASTERN PORTION OF THE AREA WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON (INCLUDING KHVR AND KLWT) TO ALLOW A FEW SHOWERS WITH POSSIBLE MVFR CEILINGS TO DEVELOP. AFTER 00Z...WINDS AT KCTB WILL DECREASE AND SHIFT MORE NORTHERLY AS A WEAK COLD FRONT SAGS SOUTH OVER THAT AREA...ALLOWING FOR A CHANCE OF SHOWERS THERE AS WELL. COULSTON && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 54 37 64 31 / 10 10 10 20 CTB 45 29 54 23 / 10 30 10 10 HLN 54 35 60 33 / 10 10 20 20 BZN 54 33 63 33 / 10 10 0 10 WEY 39 25 44 27 / 30 20 10 10 DLN 53 35 58 34 / 10 10 10 10 HVR 50 29 65 29 / 10 10 10 10 LWT 52 35 63 31 / 10 0 10 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MDT TODAY FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET FOR NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT...SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. HIGH WIND WARNING UNTIL 6 AM MDT EARLY THIS MORNING MADISON. && WEATHER.GOV/GREATFALLS
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK...UPDATED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT 945 PM MDT TUE MAR 20 2012 MTZ015-211630- MADISON- 945 PM MDT TUE MAR 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A HIGH WIND WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR MADISON COUNTY UNTIL MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF STRONG WINDS OR WIND DAMAGE WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ009-048-211630- NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT-SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT- 945 PM MDT TUE MAR 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ELEVATIONS ABOVE 5000 FEET ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON MDT WEDNESDAY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... REPORTS OF SNOWFALL OR SIGNIFICANT RESTRICTIONS TO VISIBILITY WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. MTZ008-010>014-044>047-049>055-211630- BEAVERHEAD-EASTERN GLACIER-HILL-CASCADE-CHOUTEAU- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK-TOOLE-LIBERTY- EASTERN PONDERA-BLAINE-EASTERN TETON-JUDITH BASIN-FERGUS- JEFFERSON-BROADWATER-MEAGHER-GALLATIN- 945 PM MDT TUE MAR 20 2012 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL MONTANA...NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA AND SOUTHWEST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TONIGHT THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...WEDNESDAY THROUGH MONDAY THE PROBABILITY FOR WIDESPREAD HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS LOW. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.
2 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Ten inches of snow fell at East Glacier Park 11SSW (the Pike Creek SNOTEL site - elevation 5930 feet).
Eight inches of snow fell at Bynum 24W (the Mount Lockhart SNOTEL site - elevation 6400 feet).
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2012Every state in 2012This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2012
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: 367073, 367074.