Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, December 23 to 24, 2014

Name: Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, December 23 to 24, 2014
Start: 2014-12-23T21:00
End: 2014-12-24T23:00
Location: Montana

December 23 to 24, 2014 · NWS MSO · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

A trough originating from the Gulf of Alaska dove southeast across the Pacific Northwest during the day on Dec. 24.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 2 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

A trough originating from the Gulf of Alaska dove southeast across the Pacific Northwest during the day on Dec. 24. The base of the trough tracked across northern CA 4 pm PST on Dec. 24 to west-central Utah by 5 am MST on Dec. 25. It had a very moist plume of moisture that moved ahead of it and the precipitable water(a measure of the amount of moisture in the atmospheric layer) values were 200% of normal, which most likely contributed to the heavy precipitation values across northwest Montana.

What forecasters said that day

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 23, 2:53 PM MST, 6 hours 7 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 23, 2:53 PM MST, 6 hours 7 minutes before

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The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy snow, 1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, West Glacier Region

When: December 23, 9:00 PM MST to December 24, 11:00 PM MST
Where: West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

As of 6:30 am on the 24th, MDT reported 12 to 14 of snow between Coram and West Glacier. On top of the morning snowfall report, the Pike Creek SNOTEL located 697 feet above Marias Pass reported an additional 11 after this time-frame. Pike Creek saw a total snowfall of 17 . MDT later reported that there were times when they had a hard time keeping up with this snow event.

Winter Weather, Lower Clark Fork Region

When: December 24, 2:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Periods of moderate to heavy snow fell mainly during the early morning hours affecting Lookout Pass. Around 11 inches of snow fell which caused snow-covered roads and slick conditions. No crashes or slide-offs were reported during this period by the MT Department of Justice.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2014 Every state in 2014 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, December 2014

Sources

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 547959, 552536.