Name: Heavy Snow in Montana, December 27 to 28, 2014
Start: 2014-12-27T05:00
End: 2014-12-28T19:00
Location: Montana

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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 TFX wrote it up.

A low pressure system moved into the Pacific Northwest and brought heavy snow to Central Montana, with the most accumulation over the northern Rockies and adjacent plains. Strong winds caused blowing and drifting snow as well.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 27, 4:55 AM MST, 5 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 27, 4:55 AM MST, 5 minutes before

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Event by event

5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Beaverhead

When: December 27, 5:00 AM MST to December 28, 6:00 AM MST
Where: Beaverhead forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

Heavy snow, measuring 14.0 inches in 12 hours, was reported 22 mi W of Wisdom, MT.

Heavy Snow, Meagher

When: December 27, 3:00 PM MST to December 28, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Meagher forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snow, measuring 7.0 inches in 12 hours, was reported 8 mi W of Neihart, MT at the Stringer Creek SNOTEL; elevation 6550 feet.

Heavy Snow, Cascade

When: December 27, 3:00 PM MST to December 28, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snow, measuring 7.0 inches in 12 hours, was reported 8 mi W of Neihart, MT at the Stringer Creek SNOTEL; elevation 6550 feet.

Heavy Snow, North Rocky Mountain Front

When: December 27, 6:00 PM MST to December 28, 7:00 PM MST
Where: North Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Heavy snow, measuring 13.4 inches in 24 hours, was reported 1 mi NW of Heart Butte, MT.

Heavy Snow, Southern Rocky Mountain Front

When: December 28, 3:00 AM MST to 4:00 PM MST
Where: Southern Rocky Mountain Front forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL

Heavy snow, measuring 6.0 inches in 12 hours, was reported 20 mi W of Augusta, MT at the Wood Creek SNOTEL; elevation 5960 feet.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

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: 552723, 552724, 552725, 552727, 552726.