Montana, 2015Heavy Snow in Montana, January 19, 2015
January 19, 2015 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone
On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, an upper level trough initiated several bands of rain and snow showers across the Northern Rockies.
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.
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- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Crop damage
- None recorded
- Events
- 1
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.
On the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, an upper level trough initiated several bands of rain and snow showers across the Northern Rockies. A long and transient snow band produced snowfall over Interstate 90 between Drummond and Deer Lodge which melted and froze after sundown. This created a sheet of ice that caused at least seven accidents with no injuries and shut down the highway for three hours.
Heavy Snow, Butte / Blackfoot Region
- When
- January 19, 5:00 PM MST to 10:00 PM MST
- Where
- Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
- Property damage
- $5,000
- Reported by
- Law Enforcement
- Coordinates
- 46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)
Montana Highway Patrol reported road conditions were so slick that tires on some vehicles could not get traction and they became stranded. Traffic backed up from approximately 6:54 pm through 10 pm MST because of the accidents. A Greyhound bus and a number of semi-trucks jack-knifed across the highway while several vehicles ended up in the ditch.
- 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.
- Winter Weather in Iowa, January 19, 20159 events
- Avalanche in Montana, January 19 to 20, 20152 events
- Dense Fog in Utah, January 19 to 20, 20151 event
- Blizzard in Alaska, January 19, 20151 event
- Dense Fog in California, January 19 to 20, 20151 event
- Winter Weather in Colorado, January 19 to 20, 20151 event
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: 550240.