A sudden cold front during the overnight and early morning hours brought strong and gusty winds which blew the recently-fallen snow enough to create blizzard-like conditions, especially for the eastern portion of Sheridan County, Montana.
Every event with a place to put it; 3 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 GGW wrote it up.
A sudden cold front during the overnight and early morning hours brought strong and gusty winds which blew the recently-fallen snow enough to create blizzard-like conditions, especially for the eastern portion of Sheridan County, 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 Jan 11, 7:41 PM MST, 4 hours 19 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service GLASGOW MT 741 PM MST Wed Jan 11 2017 .SHORT TERM...for northeast Montana...today through Fri... Temperatures were already approaching forecast minimums early this evening. While 850mb temperatures are several degrees warmer tonight than last night, winds are lighter for many locations across northeast Montana. The combination of light winds, fresh snow pack, and mainly clear skies is a recipe for strong radiational cooling. So, stronger radiational cooling due to lighter winds will help offset the fact that the 850mb temperatures are modestly milder tonight. Additionally, daytime high temperatures were below zero in many instances so things are starting off from a colder start this evening in comparison to last evening. As a result, expect low temperatures by Thursday morning to be in the 15 to 30 below range once again, with the coldest pockets in the valleys where winds are lightest. A rule of thumb may be to shave off another 7 to 10 degrees from the 7pm temperatures to get your approximate morning low for Thursday morning. In the northeast zones, winds are more persistent and so maintained a mention of blowing snow for the overnight period. Other forecast elements are on track. Maliawco Previous Discussion... The bitter cold air mass today is in control across the region with the coldest temperatures of the season recorded this morning. Now, with a slight shift to the east, the temperatures are expected to warm just a bit. Granted that still means below zero temperatures. As wind speeds over our eastern zones remain in the 10 to 15 mph range, blowing snow will persist through the overnight and Thursday morning hours. Currently, the blowing snow is not expected to be a big enough impact to warrant any new headlines, keeping the focus on the wind chill advisory for now. Would be wise to keep a close eye on area visibility observations if a change in headlines becomes necessary. Also would be a good idea to mention blowing snow as a side note. A few days ago, when the current wind chill advisory was expanded in time through Thursday morning, it was a bit uncertain whether the next day would need that headline as well. As that time grows closer, and the latest model consensus continues to keep a cold hold on the region through Friday, another expansion of the wind chill advisory may be needed. To avoid to much product confusion, felt it was best to let the next shift have another look at this situation and make that decision. If so, it would likely not need to include our 2 SW zones. Beginning Friday, the large cold Canadian low pressure trough moves further away and northeast Montana begins to receive more influence from more moderating air masses along a more zonal flow regime with temperatures climbing above zero and some chinook winds off the Rocky Mountains into the weekend - a welcome change. BMickelson .LONG TERM...Fri night through Wed... AFTERNOON UPDATE: Forecast is mostly unchanged. First half of the long range remains completely dry with a stead slow warm up. By the second half of the long range or from about Monday onward confidence drops off but bulk of the models are still pushing towards a strong ridge with general warming across the area and the potential for above freezing temperatures. However smart money on above freezing temperatures also has to recognize that snow pack across the region should and will be eaten through to attempt this prolonged run above freezing. This same moisture content can lead to a feedback effect from low stratus clouds that could easily preclude the warm up itself, unless this warm up is persistent with strong mixing winds to transport the moisture away. GAH PREVIOUS LONG TERM DISCUSSION: The long term forecast gets underway Friday night into the weekend with a retreating arctic air mass ejecting further and further downstream from the CWA. Mostly dry zonal upper flow from the northern branch of a split flow pattern will pass over eastern Montana this coming weekend with high temperatures returning to near or above freezing. This will present a couple of impacts to the area. First, some snow melt may refreeze at night and create slick travel conditions at times. Second, increasing potential for nocturnal freezing fog is expected with added moisture to the lower boundary layer. Monday through Wednesday of next week features increasing ensemble spread in the 500mb height pattern. While broad consensus exists on an overall continued milder trend in temperatures, some models do bring in an occasional shortwave trough. Timing/track of these features might impact precipitation chances for the area. For now will finish the long term forecast with slight chance pops given the uncertainty at these large time scales. Maliawco && .AVIATION... FLIGHT CATEGORY: VFR SYNOPSIS: High surface pressure has moved into the region. Expect partly cloudy to clear skies and good flying conditions. WINDS: West to southwest at 5 to 15 kts. GAH/Proton && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Wind Chill Advisory until noon MST Thursday for Central and Southeast Phillips...Central and Southern Valley...Daniels... Dawson...Eastern Roosevelt...Garfield...McCone...Northern Phillips...Northern Valley...Petroleum...Prairie...Richland... Sheridan...Southwest Phillips...Western Roosevelt...Wibaux. && weather.gov/glasgow
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GLASGOW MT 256 PM MST WED JAN 11 2017 MTZ016>027-059>062-122200- CENTRAL AND SOUTHEAST PHILLIPS-CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN VALLEY- DANIELS-SHERIDAN-WESTERN ROOSEVELT-PETROLEUM-GARFIELD-MCCONE- RICHLAND-DAWSON-PRAIRIE-WIBAUX-NORTHERN PHILLIPS- SOUTHWEST PHILLIPS-NORTHERN VALLEY-EASTERN ROOSEVELT- 256 PM MST WED JAN 11 2017 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEAST MONTANA. .DAY ONE...THIS AFTERNOON AND TONIGHT A WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ALL OF NORTHEAST MONTANA FOR WIND CHILLS OF 20 TO 35 BELOW ZERO WHICH COULD RESULT IN FROSTBITE WITHIN 30 MINUTES. PERSISTENT WINDS AT OR ABOVE 15 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY THE WIND CHILL ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING. PERSISTENT WINDS AT OR ABOVE 15 MPH WILL CREATE AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AND REDUCED VISIBILITY. EXPECT WINDS TO DIMINISH BELOW 10 MPH BY THURSDAY AFTERNOON. .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.
3 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Sioux Pass MT-16 DOT weather station reported unknown precipitation (blowing snow) and winds gusting 40 mph from midnight through 0500. MDT road reports showed blowing snow during this time.
Public reported via social media that highway MT-5 east of Plentywood to the North Dakota border was nearly impassible in blizzard conditions. Montana DOT closed that road later shortly thereafter.
Severe driving conditions were reported by MDT on their website, for a period of at least two hours in Eastern Roosevelt County. US-2 @Stateline also reported winds sustained around 30 mph gusting to 40 mph during this time.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2017Every state in 2017This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, January 2017
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: 670662, 668646, 670660.