An arctic cold front and plentiful moisture combined to spread heavy wet snow across the area.
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.
An arctic cold front and plentiful moisture combined to spread heavy wet snow across the area.
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 Apr 7, 8:25 PM MST, 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 925 PM MDT SUN APR 7 2013 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... EVENING UPDATE... COLD FRONT HAS MOVED ACROSS THE CWA LATE THIS AFTERNOON/EARLY THIS EVENING AND THE BEGINNINGS OF THE RAIN SHOWERS ARE CURRENTLY DEVELOPING ON RADAR ACROSS PETROLEUM AND GARFIELD COUNTIES. STRONGEST BANDS ARE FARTHER SOUTH... ACROSS BYZ TERRITORY... BUT SHOULD MOVE NORTH AS THE EVENING PROGRESSES. THE STORM AND SNOW AND QPF TOTALS REMAIN FAIRLY CERTAIN. TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE NORTH WERE LOWERED OVERNIGHT TO ACCOUNT FOR THE FAST MOVING FRONT BUT SHOULD EVEN OUT AS CLOUD COVER INCREASES AND ONLY CAA REMAINS. WINDS AND HOURLY RH WERE ALSO TWEAKED WITH MESOSCALE DATA. GAH PREVIOUS SHORT TERM DISCUSSION... THE GFS... NAM... AND ECMWF HAVE ALL FINALLY CONVERGED BRINGING A WINTER STORM TO PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA TONIGHT AND MONDAY. THE AREAS THAT WILL ESCAPE MOST OF THE RAIN AND HEAVY SNOW WILL BE THE NORTHERN AREAS ALONG THE INTERNATIONAL BORDER WHERE HIGH PRESSURE AND CAA WILL TEND TO KEEP CONDITIONS DRY. THIS STORM IS QUITE WET WITH IMPRESSIVE AMOUNTS OF QPF...AROUND A HALF INCH PLUS IN PLACES...WITH MOST OF IT FALLING TONIGHT AND TAPERING OFF ON MONDAY. THE FOCUS OF THE ADVANCING TROUGH ENERGY WILL BE ALONG THE STATIONARY FRONT THAT HAD BEEN SENT SOUTH TODAY. MODELS PLACE THIS BOUNDARY JUST SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. THE AFFECTED AREA OF HEAVY QPF SPREADS THROUGH ALL THE COUNTIES SOUTH OF MISSOURI RIVER AND INTO PORTIONS OF SOUTHEAST MONTANA. THE MOVEMENT OF THE STORM WILL BE QUICK AS THE TROUGH SWINGS ACROSS THE REGION TONIGHT. WITH A COLD SURFACE HIGH IN SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN AND AND INVERTED SURFACE TROUGH LOW CENTER IN SOUTHEAST MONTANA...EXPECT 15-25KT NORTHERLY WINDS DEVELOPING TONIGHT. WITH A WARM START TO THE EVENING...THE PRECIPITATION WILL BEGIN AS RAIN...THEN CHANGE OVER TO SNOW BY MID EVENING...BECOMING ALL SNOW AFTER MIDNIGHT. STORM TOTAL SNOW WILL RANGE FROM A POSSIBLE 4 TO 8 INCHES SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...THEN TAPERING OFF TO NOTHING TOWARD THE CANADIAN BORDER. THEREFORE ISSUED A WINTER STORM WARNING FOR HEAVY SNOW...BORDERED BY A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY JUST NORTH OF THE RIVER. MONDAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY... COOLER ARCTIC AIR WILL SETTLE INTO THE REGION WITH HIGH PRESSURE NEAR THE SURFACE. DRY AIR WILL EAT INTO THE LIGHT SNOWFALL QUICKLY MONDAY MORNING AND THE NEWLY FALLEN SNOW PACK IS GOING TO KEEP THE DAYTIME HIGH TAMPED DOWN FOR AWHILE. .LONG TERM...TUESDAY NIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO THE GOING EXTENDED FORECAST... THE FORECAST STANDS. GILCHRIST PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION... ACTIVE PATTERN CONTINUES IN THE EXTENDED PERIOD WITH SHORTWAVES SLIDING THROUGH THE GENERALLY CYCLONIC FLOW OVER NORTH AMERICA. PERIOD OPENS WITH STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE CENTRAL PLAINS AND HIGH PRESSURE PUSHING SOUTH FROM CANADA. COLDER AND DRIER AIRMASS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS HIGH WILL LINGER OVER EASTERN MONTANA THROUGH WEDNESDAY. SHORTWAVE PUSHING THROUGH THE NORTHERN ROCKIES WEDNESDAY NIGHT WILL PULL WARMER AIR BRIEFLY INTO THE STATE. WAVE MOVES ACROSS EASTERN MONTANA ON THURSDAY WITH POTENTIAL FOR LIGHT PRECIPITATION AND ANOTHER SURGE OF COLDER AIR. NORTHWEST FLOW WILL MAINTAIN UNSETTLED CONDITIONS WITH NEAR NORMAL TEMPERATURES INTO NEXT WEEKEND. EBERT && .AVIATION... MVFR LEVEL LOW CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD SOUTH THIS EVENING WITH CEILINGS 1000 TO 2000 FEET. WILL SEE SNOW DEVELOP AROUND MIDNIGHT WITH IFR OR LIFR CONDITIONS LIKELY THAT WILL PREVAIL UNTIL AROUND NOON ON MONDAY. KGGW AND KOLF WILL BE ON THE NORTHERN EDGE OF THE MAIN SNOW BAND SO CONDITIONS MAY TURN OUT TO BE BETTER THAN FORECASTED LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING IF THE SNOW BAND STAYS TO THE SOUTH. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS 15 TO 25 KNOTS WILL CONTINUE INTO MONDAY AFTERNOON. CONDITIONS WILL IMPROVE VFR MONDAY AFTERNOON AS THE SNOW MOVES TO THE EAST AND NORTH WINDS DIMINISH. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT MONDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...PETROLEUM...GARFIELD...SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS. WINTER STORM WARNING UNTIL 6 PM MDT MONDAY FOR MCCONE... RICHLAND...DAWSON...PRAIRIE...WIBAUX. WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM MDT MONDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...WESTERN ROOSEVELT...EASTERN ROOSEVELT. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 314 PM MDT SUN APR 7 2013 MTZ018-019-059-061-081200- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-NORTHERN PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY- 314 PM MDT SUN APR 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WITH UP AN INCH SNOW AND MUCH COLDER TEMPERATURES WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ016-021>027-060-081200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE-RICHLAND- DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS- 314 PM MDT SUN APR 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER STORM WARNING HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY FOR 4 TO 8 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW AND SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER TEMPERATURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... WEATHER SPOTTERS ARE ENCOURAGED TO REPORT SIGNIFICANT WEATHER CONDITIONS ACCORDING TO STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES. MTZ017-020-062-081200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 314 PM MDT SUN APR 7 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT LATE TONIGHT AND MONDAY FOR 2 TO 4 INCHES OF HEAVY WET SNOW AND SIGNIFICANTLY COLDER TEMPERATURES. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .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.
5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Cooperative observers and public in Winnett reported 4 inches of heavy wet snow and some drifts.
Cooperative observers in Jordan and Cohagen reported 4 inches of heavy wet snow while amounts up to 6 inches of heavy wet snow were reported just south of the county line.
Reports from trained spotters of 4 to 5 inches of heavy wet snow were common across the area.
Cooperative observers reported 4 to 5 inches of heavy wet snow at Lindsay and Glendive.
Cooperative observers at 13 W Carlyle and 2 E Wibaux reported 8.3 and 10 inches of new snow, respectively.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2013
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: 447445, 447616, 448486, 448485, 448487.