Warm temperatures lead to snow melt and runoff across the region, but most notably over the plains of North Central Montana. With the ground still frozen, ponding of melt water noted in low lying areas.
Every event with a place to put it. 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 TFX wrote it up.
Warm temperatures lead to snow melt and runoff across the region, but most notably over the plains of North Central Montana. With the ground still frozen, ponding of melt water noted in low lying areas. Additional runoff of this melt water into creeks and streams increase the potential for ice jams.
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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 21, 4:38 PM MST, 22 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 538 PM MDT Thu Mar 21 2019 ...Updated Aviation Section. .SYNOPSIS... Mild conditions continue through Friday, however, mid to upper level clouds will begin to drift north on Friday. Scattered rain and mountain snow showers begin to develop over the Southwest Friday night into Saturday. A cooling trend with more widespread precipitation is expected this weekend. && .DISCUSSION... Rest of this afternoon through Friday night...upper level low was over Southern California as of this afternoon and continues to undercut the ridge that extends northwest from the Texas Gulf Coast to the Yukon/Northwest Territories in Canada. Moisture from the Gulf of Mexico will continue to stream northwest within the southeast flow aloft, which will lead to increasing cloud cover (especially in the mid- to upper levels) from south to north across the region through the day on Friday. Mild temperatures will continue on Friday across the region, with possibly some patchy fog being possible in valleys/river valleys Friday morning. Saturday and Sunday...Temperatures trend cooler through the weekend with periods of rain and snow developing as a series of shortwaves move across the Pacific northwest. Sunday appears to be the more impactful day in terms of rain and accumulating mountain snow. An upper level shortwave lifting northeastward will interact with a surface cold front moving south beginning early Sunday morning and continuing through the day. There are some details that still need to be worked out in terms of where the heaviest precipitation will fall but at this time the focus appears to be along the Continental Divide, parts of the southwest, and along the Hi-Line where liquid precipitation totals are currently forecast to roughly fall in the .1 to .35 inch range with locally higher amounts possible. Any rain that does fall on remaining snow cover over the plains and valleys could enhance runoff issues associated with ponding water. Snow may mix with the rain or become all snow at times in the valleys and plains especially at night but snow accumulations over these areas should be minimal with most locations receiving less than an inch. Mountain areas may see accumulations up to 6 inches. Monday through Thursday...Drier conditions briefly return on Monday as a transient ridge crosses the region. Model solutions diverge into next week, but in general support seasonally average temperatures with periods of rain and snow as a series of Pacific systems move through. && .AVIATION... Updated 540 PM MDT Thur Mar 21 2019 Some patchy fog continues over the Helena Valley, which is expected to diminish briefly before returning again early tomorrow morning. There remains some potential for Bozeman, Havre, and Cut Bank to see some patchy fog develop overnight into tomorrow morning. However, confidence remains in fog developing over these areas, as seen over previous nights/mornings. Otherwise VFR conditions are expected for the duration of the TAF period. Mid and upper level clouds will begin to build from south to north during the morning hours on Friday as an upper level disturbance approaches the Northern Rockies. -TP && .HYDROLOGY... A upper level disturbance over the Desert Southwest this afternoon will drift north northeast towards the Great Basin by Friday and eventually over the Northern Rockies/Northern High Plains by Saturday before stalling. This track will pull moisture north from the Gulf of Mexico and into the Northern Rockies/Northern High Plains. This northward surge of Gulf of Mexico moisture combined with the upper level disturbance and southward advancing cold front from Canada will bring an extended period of mountain snow and lower elevation rain/snow to the region from Friday night through Monday morning, with the heaviest precipitation expected to fall Saturday night and into Sunday. Rain may mix with or become snow at lower elevations, especially at night. Generally, total liquid precipitation from this event will be in the .15 to .30 inch range, but localized higher amounts are possible beneath any convective shower. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 26 46 30 49 / 0 0 10 10 CTB 25 49 30 51 / 0 0 0 10 HLN 18 46 24 46 / 0 0 10 10 BZN 16 45 21 45 / 0 10 10 20 WEY 17 46 22 45 / 0 30 40 50 DLN 20 44 24 42 / 0 10 50 30 HVR 23 48 26 50 / 10 10 10 0 LWT 26 52 30 51 / 0 0 0 10 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
137 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0133 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/08/2019 M17.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURED SNOW DEPTH: 16 - 17 INCHES MEASURED
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 3.30 INCHES.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
139 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0138 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/16/2019 M16.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURE SNOW DEPTH: 15 - 16 INCHES MEASURED
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 3.50 INCHES.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
140 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0139 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/21/2019 M12.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURED SNOW DEPTH: 11 - 12 INCHES MEASURE
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 2.90 INCHES.
&&PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
155 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0139 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/21/2019 M0.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURED SNOW DEPTH: 11 - 12 INCHES MEASURE
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 2.90 INCHES.
&&
MOLDANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
156 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0138 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/16/2019 M0.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURE SNOW DEPTH: 15 - 16 INCHES MEASURED
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 3.50 INCHES.
&&
MOLDANPRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT
157 PM MDT THU MAR 21 2019
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0133 PM SNOW 5 SSE ULM 47.37N 111.48W
03/08/2019 M0.0 INCH CASCADE MT TRAINED SPOTTER
MEASURED SNOW DEPTH: 16 - 17 INCHES MEASURED
SNOW WATER EQUIVALENT: 3.30 INCHES.
&&
MOLDANThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
3 flood. Local standard time, as filed.
The water came up really fast yesterday in the late afternoon. Slowed somewhat during the night but expecting increases again this afternoon.
Reports and photos from Fergus County disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator and National Weather Service Hydrologist. Roadways washed out.
Pictures provided by Outdoor Recreation Planner for Upper Missouri River Breaks NM, Fort Benton, Fergus County. James Kipp boat ramp had to be closed and locked due to flooding.
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, March 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: 835895, 835907, 835904.