An arctic air mass combined with effective winds mixing down from the mid-layers of the atmosphere to produced dangerously cold wind chills across portions of northeast Montana.
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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 air mass combined with effective winds mixing down from the mid-layers of the atmosphere to produced dangerously cold wind chills across portions of 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 Feb 28, 3:25 PM MST, 1 hour 58 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 325 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 .SHORT TERM...FOR NORTHEAST MONTANA...TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY... A FRIGID ARCTIC AIRMASS CONTINUES TO BUILD INTO MONTANA FROM THE NORTH. GUSTY NORTH WINDS ARE CURRENTLY DRIVING WIND CHILL VALUES IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF 20 TO 30 BELOW ZERO ACROSS NORTHEAST MONTANA. OVERRUNNING SNOWFALL IS CURRENTLY OCCURRING ALONG THE SOUTHERN EDGE OF THIS AIRMASS...INCLUDING EXTREME SOUTHERN PETROLEUM COUNTY. RECEIVED REPORTS OF 2 TO 3 INCHES OF SNOW ACROSS THE FURTHERS STRETCHES OF SOUTHERN PETROLEUM COUNTY ALREADY THIS AFTERNOON. EXPECT THESE TRENDS TO CONTINUE OVERNIGHT TONIGHT...WITH ADDITIONAL LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOWFALL ACROSS SOUTHERN PETROLEUM COUNTY. WIND CHILLS AND TEMPERATURES WILL TAKE A TURN FOR THE WORSE AS TEMPS WILL THREATEN RECORD LOWS AT MANY LOCATIONS...AND CONTINUED NORTH WINDS DRIVE WIND CHILLS FURTHER DOWN TO 25 TO 50 BELOW ZERO. THUS CONTINUED THE CURRENT ADVISORY FOR PETROLEUM COUNTY...WHILE UPGRADING THE WIND CHILL ADVISORY FOR AREAS NORTH OF THE MISSOURI RIVER AND GARFIELD COUNTY TO A WIND CHILL WARNING. ADDITIONAL LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OF SNOWFALL ARE EXPECTED OVERNIGHT TONIGHT INTO SATURDAY ACROSS FAR SOUTHERN PETROLEUM COUNTY...THUS THE CURRENT WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY LOOKS GOOD. TEMPERATURES ON SATURDAY WILL STRUGGLE TO REACH THE SINGLE DIGITS BELOW ZERO AT MANY LOCATIONS. WINDS WILL GO A BIT MORE NORTHEASTERLY...BUT WILL STAY UP DRIVING DANGEROUS WIND CHILLS. SATURDAY NIGHT INTO SUNDAY THE ARCTIC SURFACE HIGH WILL CONTINUE TO DOMINATE THE WEATHER OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. WINDS LOOK TO BE STRONG ENOUGH FOR WIND CHILL CONCERNS TO LINGER THROUGH MIDDAY SUNDAY. MINIMUM TEMPS SUNDAY MORNING WILL AGAIN THREATEN RECORD LOWS. PARTIAL CLEARING IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE NORTH WITH CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION TAPERING OFF SOME SATURDAY NIGHT ACROSS THE SOUTHWEST. SUNDAY AFTERNOON WEAK SHORTWAVE ENERGY AND MOISTURE OFF THE PACIFIC COULD AGAIN BRING SOME LIGHT SNOWFALL TO AREAS IN AND AROUND THE LOWER MISSOURI BREAKS AND LITTLE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. GILCHRIST .LONG TERM...SUNDAY NIGHT THROUGH FRIDAY... AFTERNOON UPDATE... MAIN CHANGE TO THE AFTERNOON FORECAST FOR THE LONG TERM WAS TO WARM TEMPERATURES SIGNIFICANTLY FOR MOST OF THE PERIODS. MODELS ARE BECOMING MORE ZONAL ALOFT AND THEREFORE ARE ADVECTING WARMER AIR INTO THE MID LEVELS. AS PACIFIC MOISTURE IS BEING MOVED THROUGH THIS ZONAL FLOW IT IS INCREASING CHANCES FOR SNOW SHOWERS AND DROPPING A LOT OF THE HEAT DOWN TO THE GROUND THROUGH VERTICAL TRANSPORT AND EXTRA CLOUD COVER. MOST OF THE COLD AIR SHOULD MODIFY OUT OR BE PUSHED OFF TO THE EAST MONDAY AND TUESDAY ALLOWING THE 850 MB TEMPERATURES TO WARM INTO THE SINGLE DIGITS ABOVE AND BELOW BY WEDNESDAY. GAH PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION... MODELS HAVE CONTINUED THEIR SHIFT TOWARD A MORE ZONAL FLOW PATTERN THROUGH THE EXTENDED PERIOD. THIS WILL SEND PACIFIC MOISTURE AND WARMER AIR ACROSS THE DIVIDE AND WITH A SERIES OF WAVES MOVING THROUGH THE FLOW...WOULD EXPECT OCCASIONAL BANDS OF PRECIPITATION TO LIFT ACROSS THE REGION. FAIRLY LOW CONFIDENCE WITH THE FORECAST DETAILS AS SOME SIGNIFICANT MODEL DIFFERENCES REGARDING THE SPREAD OF MOISTURE AND WARM AIR. OVERALL THE GFS IS THE COLDEST MODEL...WHILE THE EC IS WARMEST. TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY HAVE THE LARGEST VARIABILITY AMONG THE MODELS AND IT COULD BE THAT THE GFS IS EXPECTING MORE SNOW COVER OVER EASTERN MONTANA. FOR NOW KEPT THE TEMPERATURES TOWARD THE COLDER SIDE OF THE RANGE. MODELS IN GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE WARMEST AIR BEING OVER EASTERN MONTANA THURSDAY MORNING...WITH A COLD FRONT DROPPING IN FROM THE NORTH DURING THE DAY AND COLDER AIR LINGERING INTO FRIDAY. EBERT && .AVIATION... FLIGHT CATEGORY: VFR TO MVFR CEILINGS FOR MOST TERMINALS WITH TEMPORARY FUEL LOADING CONDITIONS POSSIBLE. SYNOPSIS; COLD FRONT PASSED THROUGH OVER NIGHT AND NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CONTINUE TO BRING IN GRADUALLY COLDER TEMPERATURES. SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE AT ALL TERMINALS BUT TOO LOW OF A CHANCE TO INCLUDE IN THE TAFS WHILE KGDV HAS THE HIGHEST POSSIBILITY. ISOLATED TO SCATTERED UPPER MVFR CLOUD DECK WILL BE BE AROUND AND MAY BRIEFLY BECOME BROKEN. CEILINGS GOING BELOW FUEL LOADING ARE MOST POSSIBLE FOR KGDV BEING THE FARTHEST SOUTH AND THEREFORE CLOSEST TO THE REGIONAL SNOW STORM. BUT THIS SHOULD ONLY BE TEMPORARY FOR TWO HOUR STRETCHES IF IT OCCURS. AREA WINDS: 15 TO 25 KTS SUSTAINED WITH GUSTS UP TO 30 KTS OUT OF THE NORTH TO NORTHWEST THROUGH THE DAY... CALMING TO 10 TO 15 KTS SUSTAINED OVERNIGHT AND SLOWLY VEERING TO THE NORTHEAST BY THE LATE MORNING HOURS. GAH && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY UNTIL 5 PM MST SATURDAY FOR PETROLEUM. WIND CHILL WARNING UNTIL NOON MST SUNDAY FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS...CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY...DANIELS... EASTERN ROOSEVELT...GARFIELD...NORTHERN PHILLIPS...NORTHERN VALLEY...SHERIDAN...SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS...WESTERN ROOSEVELT. WIND CHILL ADVISORY UNTIL NOON MST SUNDAY FOR DAWSON...MCCONE... PRAIRIE...RICHLAND...WIBAUX. && WEATHER.GOV/GLASGOW
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 232 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 MTZ016>020-022-059>062-011100- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-GARFIELD-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 232 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL WARNING IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON ON SUNDAY. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS AND STRONG NORTHERLY WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 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. MTZ021-011100- PETROLEUM- 232 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH SATURDAY AFTERNOON FOR 2 TO 6 INCHES OF STORM TOTAL SNOW...WHICH COULD CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. EXPECT WIND CHILLS OF 15 TO 30 BELOW THROUGH SATURDAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 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. MTZ023>027-011100- MCCONE-RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX- 232 PM MST FRI FEB 28 2014 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH NOON ON SUNDAY. AN ARCTIC AIRMASS AND A STRONG NORTHERLY WIND WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS WIND CHILLS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 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.
4 cold/wind chill. Local standard time, as filed.
Wind chills of -40 or worse occurring at least every hour began as early as 5:23 PM at the Comertown Turn-Off MT-5 DOT site. This wind chill event continued into the morning hours of the 1st and 2nd of March.
Although many locations recorded sporadic wind chills of -40 or worse, the McDonalds MT-13 DOT site recorded steady wind chills of -40 or worse beginning at 8:30 PM. This wind chill event continued here through the morning hours of March 1st.
Steady wind chills of -40 or worse lasting for at least 1 hour began at 8:36 PM at the Navajo MT-5 DOT site. This wind chill event continued into the morning hours of the 1st and 2nd of March.
Although marginal and sporadic wind chills of -40 or worse were recorded at many locations, steady wind chills of -40 or worse began at 10:00 PM at the Saint Marie mesonet site. This wind chill event continued through the mid-morning hours of March 1st.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2014Every state in 2014This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2014
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: 501462, 501461, 501463, 501464.