Montana, 2016

Heavy Snow in Montana, March 17, 2016

March 17, 2016 · NWS MSO · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A deep digging shortwave trough causes heavy and intense snowbands over the southern half of Flathead Lake. Road conditions quickly became snow covered, and severe driving conditions were reported on highway 93 and highway 35.

Where it happened

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  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

A deep digging shortwave trough causes heavy and intense snowbands over the southern half of Flathead Lake. Road conditions quickly became snow covered, and severe driving conditions were reported on highway 93 and highway 35. Roads became impassible for trucks on highway 93, and roads were shutdown briefly.

The radar

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

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Event by event

1 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When
March 17, 7:00 AM MST to 10:00 AM MST
Where
Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
NWS Employee
Coordinates
47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

NWS employee reported heavy, intense snow with little to no visibility over highway 93. Widespread 3 to 4 inches of snow with pockets of 4 to 6 inches of snow were reported along highway 93 near Big Arm. Multiple semi trucks were stuck on the side of the road and the highway was briefly shutdown due to severe driving conditions.

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 2016Every state in 2016This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2016

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 616396.