Name: Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, November 27 to 28, 2019
Start: 2019-11-27T13:15
End: 2019-11-28T14:40
Location: Montana

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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 TFX wrote it up.

Blizzard conditions develop as a mesoscale band of heavy snow develops along a surface boundary emerging off of The Rocky Mountain Front. Temperatures drop into the single digits behind the boundary, while wind gusts exceed 45 mph at many locations. Mesoscale models place this band of snow right along the eastern edge of The Rocky Mountain Front, but it forms and becomes nearly stationary along, or just west of I-15. Snowfall rates within this band are expected near two inches per hour, resulting in 6 to 9 inches of new snow in just a few hours. Although not quite in the right location, most of the high resolution model guidance weakens this boundary late in the evening. The large scale upper level low responsible for this event becomes stationary over southwest Oregon. Embedded shortwave features continue to rotate over the region and producing nearly continuous, widespread snow through Thursday. Snowfall intensity decreases as the localized snowband weakens, but snow becomes generally more widespread. Snow-water ratios remain high, meaning this is a powder snow that will blow easily and cause reduced visibility and drifting problems across many roads with light to moderate winds. Winds increase across the region as the surface low tracks through southern Idaho on Thursday. Snowfall dissipates on Thursday night with shortwave ridging aloft.

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 Great Falls, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Nov 27, 11:40 AM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 27, 11:40 AM MST, 1 hour 35 minutes before

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Event by event

6 winter storm, 2 winter weather, 1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Southern Lewis and Clark

When: November 27, 1:15 PM MST
Where: Southern Lewis and Clark forecast zone
Reported by: Public

New snowfall of 7 inches over Augusta, MT. Relayed through ham radio operator.

Winter Weather, Cascade

When: November 27, 3:05 PM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

Spotter reports drifts forming on mt-200 between Sun River and Simms. Winds of 20 to 35 mph. Visibility reduced to 100 feet at times.

Blizzard, Eastern Teton

When: November 27, 6:00 PM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

New snow of 14 inches reported in the past 24 hours. 35 to 40 mph winds all day. 1 NW Choteau.

Winter Storm, Eastern Teton

When: November 28, 6:30 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP observer station bynm8, Bynum 4 SSE. Two day total.

Winter Storm, Eastern Teton

When: November 28, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Eastern Teton forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

CoCoRaHS station mt-tn-3. 3 ENE Dutton. Air temp 8 F at obs time.

Winter Storm, Cascade

When: November 28, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter

New snowfall of 10 inches measured 13 miles SSE Ulm.

Winter Storm, Toole

When: November 28, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Toole forecast zone
Reported by: COOP Observer

COOP station slbm8, shelby. Two-day total, with snowfall estimated due to severe blowing and drifting. Air temp 12 F at time of ob.

Winter Storm, Cascade

When: November 28, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Cascade forecast zone
Reported by: Official NWS Observations

Storm total at NWS Great Falls office as of Thursday 18Z.

Winter Storm, Eastern Glacier

When: November 28, 2:40 PM MST
Where: Eastern Glacier forecast zone
Reported by: CoCoRaHS

Snow total estimated due to drifiting. New snowfall estimated at 14 inches. Drifts in town of 3 to 5 feet.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Blizzard: Sustained winds or frequent gusts of 35 mph or more with falling or blowing snow that cuts visibility below a quarter mile for three hours or longer.
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

More

Every storm in Montana in 2019 Every state in 2019 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, November 2019

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 864945, 864946, 864947, 864948, 864949, 864952, 864950, 864951, 864953.