A very strong arctic storm system brought Pacific moisture, over-riding a significantly cold air mass from the Canadian Rockies to spread snow and blowing snow across northeast Montana.
Every event with a place to put it; 8 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 very strong arctic storm system brought Pacific moisture, over-riding a significantly cold air mass from the Canadian Rockies to spread snow and blowing snow across northeast Montana.
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 2, 3:25 AM MST, 4 hours 35 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 325 AM MST MON DEC 2 2013 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TODAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY... WITH TEMPERATURES AT OR CLOSE TO FREEZING...WITH KEEP THE FZRA ADVSY GOING THROUGH THIS MORNING. A STRONG...COLD CLOSED-OFF LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM...SEEN ON THE GOES WATER VAPOR IMAGERY...HAS MOVED SOUTH OUT OF ALASKA AND THE YUKON TERRITORY AND IS TRACKING SOUTH ALONG THE BRITISH COLUMBIA COAST...PICKING UP CONSIDERABLE PACIFIC MOISTURE ALONG THE WAY. THIS LOW DESCENDS INTO NORTHERN AREAS OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST TODAY...SENDING A COLD FRONT INTO THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE CWA BY NOON...AND COMPLETELY THROUGH BY 00Z TUESDAY. THIS IS A LITTLE QUICKER THAN EXPECTED...SO WILL BE TWEAKING HIGHS DOWN A BIT TODAY. WE CAN EXPECT A COMPLETE TRANSITION OVER TO SNOW BEFORE THE END OF THE DAY. IN ADDITION...THE SURFACE LOW CENTER WILL DROP INTO WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA CREATING A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT. THIS WILL RAMP-UP WIND BY LATE AFTERNOON ALONG AND NORTH OF THE HI- LINE AT FIRST. TONIGHT...THE FRONT MOVES SOUTH TAKING THE INITIAL MOISTURE WITH IT. BUT A COMPLEX DISTURBANCE SETTLES OVER NORTHEAST MONTANA WITH AROUND A AROUND A QUARTER INCH OF QPF AVAILABLE TO PRODUCE MODERATE ACCUMULATING SNOW. A STRONG CAA WILL BRING IN A STEADY STREAM OF ARCTIC AIR. 850MB TEMPERATURES THAT WERE ABOVE 0C THIS MORNING WILL DROP TO AROUND -16C BY TUESDAY MORNING. THE NORTHERLY WIND OF 20-25 KT WILL CREATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW HAZARDS. TUESDAY...MODELS DIFFER ON QPF AMOUNTS FOR TUESDAY...MAKING IT LIKELY THAT SNOW WILL TAPER LOWER. THE SURFACE LOW WILL CONTINUE ITS TREK EAST DIMINISHING WIND STRENGTH BY AFTERNOON. CAA WILL CONTINUE THE ARCTIC BLAST WITH 850MB TEMPERATURES REACHING AROUND -20C. EXPECT HIGHS IN SINGLE DIGITS. TUESDAY NIGHT AND WEDNESDAY...EXCEPT FOR LIGHT FLURRY TYPE LINGERING SNOW...A SURFACE HIGH WILL BRING IN THE REALLY COLD AIR ASSOCIATED WITH ANOTHER CLOSED BUT DRY LOW DROPPING INTO SOUTHERN SASKATCHEWAN. THE MAIN THREAT COULD BE WIND CHILLS OVERNIGHT AND WEDNESDAY MORNING...DEPEND ON WIND STRENGTH. BASED ON SNOW AMOUNTS AND IMPACTS...DECIDED TO GO WITH A WITH A WINTER STORM WARNING IN 2 SEGMENTS...THE 1ST BEGINNING AT 18Z NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER...AND THE REMAINDER AT 00Z. THE WARNING WILL GO THROUGH 12Z WEDNESDAY. SCT .LONG TERM...WEDNESDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY... AN ARCTIC AIRMASS WILL DOMINATE THE EXTENDED PERIOD WHICH LAST THROUGH NEXT MONDAY WITH HIGHS NEAR OR BELOW ZERO AND LOWS WELL BELOW ZERO. A DEEP UPPER TROUGH WILL COVER MOST OF THE US AND CANADA WITH AN ARCTIC HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM OVER MONTANA MOST OF THE TIME. MONTANA WILL HAVE A NORTH TO NW FLOW ALOFT THAT WILL COME STRAIGHT FROM THE ARCTIC. MODELS CONTINUE TO POINT TOWARDS PERSISTENT LOW CLOUDS WHICH IF THEY HOLD WILL PREVENT TEMPERATURES FROM FALLING AT NIGHT AS MUCH AS THEY WOULD IF SKIES WERE CLEAR. HOWEVER...WITH FRESH SNOW COVER... IT ONLY TAKES A FEW HOURS OF CLEAR SKIES AT NIGHT FOR TEMPERATURES TO REACH -25 OR COLDER IN THIS PATTERN. FORRESTER && .AVIATION... FLIGHT CATEGORY: ANYWHERE FROM VFR TO IFR THIS MORNING AS PATCHY FOG WILL REDUCE VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A MILE AT TIMES. THEN... IFR MOST OF THE TIME AFTER SNOW DEVELOPS THIS AFTERNOON. THE IFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW REDUCING VISIBILITY TO LESS THAN A MILE MOST OF THE TIME. A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM WILL MOVE THROUGH THE REGION ON TODAY WITH A STRONG COLD FRONT. LIGHT WINDS THIS MORNING WILL TURN TO THE NORTH OR NORTHEAST AND INCREASE TO AND INCREASE TO AROUND 20 KNOTS THIS EVENING. A MIX OF FOG...RAIN OR FREEZING RAIN/ICING AT TIME THIS MORNING WILL CHANGE TO ALL SNOW THIS AFTERNOON. THE SNOW WILL CONTINUE TONIGHT AND TUESDAY WITH SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS TO GROUND OPERATIONS. && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO 5 AM MST WEDNESDAY FOR DAWSON...GARFIELD...MCCONE...PETROLEUM...PRAIRIE... RICHLAND...SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS...WIBAUX. FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY UNTIL 11 AM MST THIS MORNING FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS...EASTERN ROOSEVELT...NORTHERN PHILLIPS...NORTHERN VALLEY...RICHLAND...SHERIDAN...WESTERN ROOSEVELT. WINTER STORM WARNING FROM 11 AM THIS MORNING TO 5 AM MST WEDNESDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS...EASTERN ROOSEVELT...NORTHERN PHILLIPS...NORTHERN VALLEY...SHERIDAN...WESTERN ROOSEVELT. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 320 AM MST MON DEC 2 2013 MTZ016>027-059>062-030900- 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- 320 AM MST MON DEC 2 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT A FREEZING RAIN ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR NORTHERN PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA THIS MORNING. A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT STARTING THIS AFTERNOON NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER AND THIS EVENING SOUTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY A WINTER STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST MONTANA THIS AFTERNOON OR EVENING THROUGH TUESDAY NIGHT. EXPECT 4 TO 8 INCHES OF TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATION. STRONG NORTHERLY WIND OF 20 TO 30 MPH WILL GENERATE BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW TO MAKE TRAVEL DIFFICULT AND HAZARDOUS. WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 30 BELOW CAN BE EXPECTED TUESDAY NIGHT. .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.
8 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Cooperative observer at 4NW Scobey reported 6 to 7 inches of snowfall.
The cooperative observers at the Port of Opheim border station reported 12 inches of new snowfall.
Snowfall reports of 4 to 6 inches were generally common across the area, with a maximum of 7 inches reported both by the Bureau of Land Management at the Bowdoin National Wildlife Refuge and by the cooperative observer at 3SSE Content.
A wide range of snowfall amounts were reported across the area, with a maximum of 8 inches reported by the cooperative observer at 3N of Brusett.
Most cooperative observers contacted reported 6 to 8 inches of snowfall, but for those in and around Hinsdale and other locations near the Larb Hills, reports of 11 to 12 inches of orographically-enhanced snowfall were common.
The cooperative observer at the Terry Buffalo Rapids reported a total of 8 inches of snow over a 24-hour period.
Cooperative observers at the Port of Morgan border station reported 7 inches of new snowfall.
Snowfall reports ranged widely across the area, generally between 2 and 5 inches, but the cooperative observer at Lindsay reported 7 inches.
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, December 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: 489884, 489887, 489888, 489889, 489882, 489892, 489885, 489890.