A large and expansive winter storm from the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian Rockies followed an exact track through northeast Montana, bringing up to a foot of snow to some locations in less than 24 hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 13 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 large and expansive winter storm from the Pacific Northwest and the Canadian Rockies followed an exact track through northeast Montana, bringing up to a foot of snow to some locations in less than 24 hours.
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 Feb 2, 2:12 PM MST, 6 hours 48 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 212 PM MST Sat Feb 2 2019 .DISCUSSION... Synoptic Setup: Forecast begins with a ridge over the central Part of the CONUS which is quickly exiting east. North of this Arctic air has entered the Canadian high plains and formed a very sharp front right at the Montana/Dakota border that is beginning to move early this afternoon. Out west a Pacific trough sets off the coast with intrusion into California at its base. This afternoon through Sunday night: Cold front moving south through Montana will drop temperatures off by the late afternoon/early evening. By 9 PM snow is expected to form across the western CWA and beginning spreading across the CWA through roughly midnight. Snow will last through the whole of Sunday due to a pacific moisture feed over-running the cold airmass. Totals with this wave look to be between 5 to 9 inches before it diminishes into Sunday night. Wind will accelerate up to 25 gust 35 mph with the strong pressure/temperature gradient and lead to blowing and drifting snow concerns with reduced visibility. Monday to Tuesday night: Center of the arctic air will make it into Montana during this time and still have random pacific moisture plumes over it. So, a few more snow showers will be possible at this time but wind speeds should reduce quite a bit with any excess snow which will reduce wind chills and blowing snow. Wednesday onward: pacific trough will move the CONUS and provide the perfect vessel for the Arctic air to flow into and set up shop. This will allow the cold air to hold position throughout the rest of the week while decreasing chances for snow quite a bit. Confidence in snow during these periods drops off. flow might become northwest during the weekend providing some relief from the coldest of temperatures but uncertainty is high. GAH && .AVIATION... FLIGHT CATEGORY: VFR to LIFR SYNOPSIS: Frontal boundary will be moving southward across the region today, leading to shifting winds by the evening hours. Ceilings will also begin to drop after the surface front passes and the cloud deck increases. Accumulating snow will begin to impact TAF sites overnight tonight, and become more disruptive to operations during the day on Sunday when LIFR conditions are expected at all TAF sites. WINDS: Expected to become northerly by the evening after frontal passage, then become gusty during the overnight hours. Winds between 15 to 20 kts, with gusts over 25 kts are expected tonight and Sunday. Avery && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Storm Warning from 11 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Monday 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
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
12 heavy snow, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Trained spotters in and near the town of Zortman estimated 6 inches of new snowfall with some drifts in more exposed areas.
Garfield County Dispatch office in Jordan estimated 6 inches of new snow fall.
McCone County Dispatch reported 10 inches of new snow fall.
Multiple trained spotter from Malta to Saco measured or estimated 6 to 7 inches of new snow fall.
While reports of 5 to 8 inches of snow fall were common across western Roosevelt County, the maximum of 8 inches of new snow fall was reported by a cooperative observer in Brockton.
At the NWS forecast office in Glasgow, 9.5 inches of new snow fall was measured.
Trained spotter, at Opheim 5 S, estimated 6 inches of new snow fall and many drifts up to 2 feet high.
Snow fall reports of at least 6 inches were common across Daniels County, with a maximum of 10 inches estimated by a trained spotter, 6 SW Scobey.
Border Patrol agents at the Port of Morgan, measured 6 inches of new snow fall.
Cooperative observer in Culbertson reported 8 inches of new snow fall.
Cooperative observer in Plentywood measured 7.3 inches of new snow fall.
Wibaux County Dispatch reported 7 inches of new snow fall. I-94 was closed through Wibaux County from 19:20 MST on the 3rd to 06:00 MST on the 4th due to severe winter driving conditions.
The Montana Department of Transportation closed I-94 from Glendive through eastern Dawson County due to severe winter driving conditions. Snow fall reports of 4 to 5 inches were common across western Dawson County.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2019Every state in 2019This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2019
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: 805710, 805726, 805745, 805713, 805742, 805720, 805719, 805740, 805716, 805743, 805741, 805744, 805746.