Winter Storm in Montana, January 1, 2017

Name: Winter Storm in Montana, January 1, 2017
Start: 2017-01-01T04:00
End: 2017-01-01T19:00
Location: Montana

January 1, 2017 · NWS MSO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong Arctic front pushed through western Montana on New Years day and brought snow, blowing snow and cold wind chills across the region.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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 strong Arctic front pushed through western Montana on New Years day and brought snow, blowing snow and cold wind chills across the region.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Dec 31, 2:34 PM MST, 13 hours 26 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 31, 2:34 PM MST, 13 hours 26 minutes before

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The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When: January 1, 4:00 AM MST to 2:00 PM MST
Where: Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: ASOS
Coordinates: 47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Glacier Park International Airport and the Montana Department of Transportation reported widespread blowing snow around the Kalispell area with wind gusts of 30 to 40 mph. Over on the Flathead Lake east side highway, wind gusts of over 50 mph were recorded on the the Mid Lake buoy. Due to the strong gusty winds, 2 foot drifts were common in the valleys, along with visibility reductions, due to the blowing snow.

Winter Storm, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When: January 1, 6:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where: Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation reported around 5 inches of new snow with considerable blowing and drifting along Highway 37. Highway 56 was also slick with some blowing snow. Snotel sites around the area reported 6 inches of snow.

Winter Storm, West Glacier Region

When: January 1, 6:00 AM MST to 12:00 PM MST
Where: West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Whitefish Mountain ski resort reported 7 inches of snow with wind gusts of up to 45 mph. Due to the strong winds and very cold wind chills, several ski lifts were forced to close. Other higher elevation sites such as Hornet RAWS also reported high winds of up to 40 mph.

Winter Storm, Butte / Blackfoot Region

When: January 1, 9:00 AM MST to 7:00 PM MST
Where: Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation reported widespread areas of blowing snow with periods of moderate to heavy snow during the day. A fair amount of slide offs were reported and a fatal crash was also reported on highway 12 several miles west of Avon.

What these are

Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2017 Every state in 2017 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, January 2017

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: 666294, 666271, 666290, 666301.