A period of very warm temperatures ranging from 50 to 60 degrees occurred after an above normal snowfall winter across western Montana. This combined with moderate to heavy rainfall and high snow levels resulted in a quick melt of snowpack in various locations.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 MSO wrote it up.
A period of very warm temperatures ranging from 50 to 60 degrees occurred after an above normal snowfall winter across western Montana. This combined with moderate to heavy rainfall and high snow levels resulted in a quick melt of snowpack in various locations. Impacts felt included road closures due to avalanche danger, flooding of the Little Bitterroot River, rock slides across northwest Montana and lowland flooding across the Bitterroot Valley. President Obama declared a major disaster in the state of Montana which included Sanders, Lake and Ravalli Counties to help with the flood cleanup costs.
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 Mar 3, 2:33 PM MST, 9 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
233 PM MST Mon Mar 3 2014
.DISCUSSION...
Tonight and Tuesday...Another surge of Pacific moisture has been
making its a across the Idaho Panhandle and into northwest
Montana this afternoon. Snow levels are low enough for snow over
the mountains passes and areas around the West Glacier region, but
an influx warmer at the lower elevations has resulted in a mix
of rain and snow in the valleys. In addition rain and snow,
freezing rain will also be in the mix as a wide variety of valley
temperatures range from the teens in the West Glacier region to
near 30 degree in the Kootenai/Cabinet region of northwest
Montana. Winter Weather Advisories for a wintry mix in the valleys
and predominantly snow over the mountain passes have been issued.
The northern Flathead Valley and West Glacier region will see
mostly snow this evening with a chance of freezing rain late
tonight and Tuesday morning. Precipitation will will diminishing
in the valleys by Tuesday morning, but overnight precipitation
will make for a difficult commute.
Another warm plume of moisture will make its way into the Northern
Rockies on Friday. This moisture feed will cause snow levels to
increase once again, but the mountains should see fairly hefty
snow amounts. Most of the valleys should have mixed out, so the
precipitation will be primarily a rain/snow mix. The exception
will be the valleys across northwest Montana, where valley
inversions could persist. These valleys have the potential of
seeing another round of freezing rain, which could cause hazardous
driving conditions. As this feature moves into the region a
southerly pressure gradient will develop over the area. The Camas
Prairie and the Salmon river corridor in Idaho could experiencing
fairly gusty winds on Wednesday. Temperatures for most locations
should be near normal for this time of year.
The precipitation should persist through Friday as a weak
disturbance move through the region. Then Friday night into
Saturday, a weak ridge of high pressure will build over the region
which should cause precipitation to decrease across the region.
The latest models runs are indicating another warm plume of
moisture making its way into the region Sunday into Monday.
&&
.AVIATION...Precipitation and lower ceilings will obscure higher
terrain at times through Tuesday. Warmer air moving in aloft will
cause a mixture of rain/snow/freezing rain in the valleys of
northwest Montana...including KGPI and to a lesser degree KMSO.
Snow is excepted over the mountains through Tuesday. KBTM and KSMN
will see scattered snow showers in their vicinity, potentially
impacting air operations.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 11 AM MST Tuesday for Lolo Pass IN
THE Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 11 AM MST Tuesday for I-90 Lookout
Pass to Haugan IN THE Lower Clark Fork Region.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 11 AM MST Tuesday Flathead/Mission
Valleys.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 11 AM MST Tuesday West Glacier
Region.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 11 AM MST Tuesday Kootenai/Cabinet
Region.
ID...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY until 10 AM PST Tuesday for Lolo Pass IN
THE Southern Clearwater Mountains.
&&
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https://www.twitter.com/NWSMissoulaPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
618 PM MST MON MAR 3 2014
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0509 PM SNOW 1 E EUREKA 48.88N 115.04W
03/03/2014 M3.0 INCH LINCOLN MT TRAINED SPOTTER
0.31" LIQUID EQUIVALENT. STORM TOTAL
SNOWFALL OF 6.3 INCHES SINCE SATURDAY
EVENING MARCH 1. SNOW DURATION 24 HOURS
OBSERVER LOCATION EUREKA
&&
NWS MISSOULA MT
IRIS SYSTEMPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT...CORRECTED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
620 PM MST MON MAR 3 2014
...TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
...DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0500 PM SNOW 7 NNE REXFORD 48.99N 115.10W
03/03/2014 E12.0 INCH LINCOLN MT TRAINED SPOTTER
FIRST TIME IN SEVERAL YEARS THAT THEIR
SHRUBS ARE COVERED WITH SNOW. SNOW DURATION
48 HOURS OBSERVER LOCATION 8 MI N OF EUREKA
&&
NWS MISSOULA MT
IRIS SYSTEMThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 avalanche. Local standard time, as filed.
Several days of moderate to heavy rainfall contributed to rock slides across northwest Montana. One in particular blocked a lane on Montana 37 north of the Libby Dam for a few hours.
A driveway was completely washed out by a flood, presumably caused by snowmelt and very warm temperatures.
Above normal snowfall in February resulted in an unusually high snowpack across the Bitterroot Valley at the beginning of March. The Hamilton COOP reported a snow depth of 16 on March 2 which disappeared by March 9. Weather spotters in the Florence area reported well over a foot of snow at the beginning of March. This snowpack combined with 0.50 to 1 of mild rainfall and temperatures well into the 50's caused rapid snowmelt and subsequently overland flooding in the Bitterroot Valley. A person from the public in Florence off Hidden Valley Rd. reported a damaged fence, multiple homes with water damage and several windows broken. The MT DOT reported heavy water on the roadways S-203 2 miles east of Florence, near the junction with US-93. They also reported heavy amounts of water on S-203 10 miles north of the Stevensville Junction with S-269. The Ravalli County DES coordinator remarked that this was the worst flooding he had seen in 41 years in these areas.
Due to the large amount of precipitation between 1 and 2 inches in the mountains with high freezing levels, natural avalanche releases were reported between Essex and Marias Pass. A BNSF avalanche forecaster reported very large avalanche releases during the early morning hours on March 6. The MT DOT reported that US-2 between Essex and 7 miles west of Marias Pass was closed from 2 to 4:30 MST on March 6 due to avalanche mitigation. Both freight and passenger train service was shut down for an estimated 24 hour period between March 6-7.
The DES coordinator for Sanders County reported that the Little Bitterroot River flooded with 2 to 3 feet of water observed in places. The Little Bitterroot Road from Anderson's Corner to Sloan's Bridge was closed for 4 days. According to a river gauge located at one of the river's headwaters, Mill Creek, the discharge rate peaked at 238 cubic feet per second at 3:15 pm MST on March 6. In 31 years, this value surpassed the previous record of 53 cubic feet per second set back in 1986. A local rancher reported that this was the worst flooding he had ever seen. In terms of damage, the Little Bitterroot Road experienced minor damage with several culverts that needed to be replaced while homes were spared. Observations were sparse in the region, but a COOP observer located 2 miles northwest of Heron reported a 48 hour precipitation total of 1.99 between March 9-10. The combination of above normal snowfall that fell across western Montana in February, warm day and night-time temperatures and the rainfall contributed to substantial snow-melt in this event.
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, March 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: 507247, 507330, 507165, 507290, 505230.