A Pacific Storm System moving in from the west, combined with strong easterly winds from an area of high pressure over Canada resulting in heavy snow and blizzard conditions over portions of northeast Montana, mainly north of the Missouri River.
Every event with a place to put it; 15 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 Pacific Storm System moving in from the west, combined with strong easterly winds from an area of high pressure over Canada resulting in heavy snow and blizzard conditions over portions of northeast Montana, mainly north of the Missouri River.
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 Mar 10, 3:10 AM MST, 4 hours 50 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 310 AM MST Fri Mar 10 2023 .DISCUSSION... Synoptic Setup: A ridge of warmer air runs north over the High Plains of Colorado, Wyoming, and far eastern Montana. To the west a shortwave is developing in southwest flow over southern Idaho and lifting northeast. To the north cold air sets over the Highs Plains of Canada wait to be pulled in. Farther west weak trough- ridge couplets are rapidly amplifying over the Gulf of Alaska. Today: Remains of the ridge will drift southeast allowing southwest flow to take over. The Idaho disturbance will quickly plow through the area forming a surface low over southern Montana and pulling it to the east. A conveyor belt of moisture is expected to form just ahead of the low and lead up over the cold air in northeast Montana and southern Saskatchewan. This will quickly spin up an east to west band of snow that will move across the northern half of the CWA beginning in the afternoon. Surface wind speed with the warm air advection ahead of the low are in flux from teh southeast to east. Currently, the NBM 4.1 is pulling for an ensemble of near 50kts along the ND/MT border. However SPC's HREF and its individual CAMs runs are pulling in lower numbers for speeds around 40 to 45 kts with just the max members pushing 50 kts. Talking it over with the neighbors, NBM 4.1 has been running a little high and when consulting NAM Forecast soundings there appears to be a strong inversion keeping the 50 kts speeds around 800 mb from breaking through completely to the surface. With it being WAA and not CAA the bias against max winds is also in place. So, have held off on High Wind Warning for the Big Sheeps and Wibaux county for now and will monitor for speeds above 50kts in the afternoon. However, snow is another matter and accumulations are expected to reach up to 8 to 11 inches along the far northern tier of zones. With this and strong winds, have placed a Winter Storm Warning along northern Phillips and northern Valley county while upping it a bit more to a Blizzard Warning for Daniels and Sheridan county. A Winter Weather Advisory for 2 to 6 inches was put in place for about one county length south of this as a buffer to areas where only a trace to maybe 2 inches is anticipated. Tonight through Saturday: Around midnight a lull in the winds is expected as the center of the low moves across the region. Winds will rapidly pick up out of the northwest behind the cold front but be a few knots less than the southeast winds that came earlier. Areas still in light snow such as Daniels and Sheridan county could easily go back to whiteout conditions during the mid to late morning hours with all the new snow be blown about and drifting. Saturday night through Sunday: High pressure and cold Arctic air will settle into the region with any lingering snow ending by the early morning. Meanwhile, an amplified ridge will move onshore over the Pacific Northwest. Sunday night through Tuesday: Ridge will progress east scouring out the cold air across the region and bringing highs back above freezing. New snowmelt may begin to contribute to morning fog during these periods. Tuesday night to Friday night: Ensembles rapidly seperate here onward. What can be gleaned from the tea leaves is another milder Pacific trough with slightly cooler temps and an increased chance for precipitation with the passage of a weaker cold front. GAH && .AVIATION... LAST UPDATED: 0900Z FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR - Airport Shutdown. DISCUSSION: A winter storm will move through the area today and tonight as the center of it moves along the International border from west to east. Snow will start at KGGW around 18-21Z and spread east with rapidly deteriorating conditions. As strong winds increase, BLIZZARD conditions will be close and just northeast of the terminals. 1/2 mile obscurations with Airport Shutdown will be possible from 00-08Z tonight especially for KGGW and KOLF. Conditions will begin to improve around 15-18Z Saturday for the terminals as snow diminishes. IMPACT: Prepare for drifting and near whiteout conditions on airport runways. WIND: Southeast at 15-20 gust 30 kts through the morning. Slowly backing to the east and increasing to 20-30 gust 40 kts in the afternoon and evening. There will be a temporary lull in speeds around 06Z as wind direction switches. Then swinging to the northwest and increasing behind the cold front to 15-25 gust 35 kts Saturday morning. GAH && .GLASGOW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory from 8 AM this morning to 5 AM MST Saturday for Central and Southeast Phillips...Central and Southern Valley...Southwest Phillips. Blizzard Warning from 11 AM this morning to 11 AM MST Saturday for Daniels...Eastern Roosevelt...Sheridan. Winter Weather Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 AM MST Saturday for McCone...Richland...Western Roosevelt. Winter Storm Warning from 8 AM this morning to 5 AM MST Saturday for Northern Phillips...Northern Valley. && weather.gov/glasgow
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
10 blizzard, 5 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.
A trained spotter located at 6 ESE Port of Opheim reported blizzard conditions between the morning of the 10th to midday on the 11th.
Across Central and Southern Valley County, measured snowfall amounts ranged from 4.0 to 9.0 inches. The greatest amount of 9.0 inches was measured by a trained spotter at 4 SW Hinsdale.
Public reported 7.0 inches of snow in Scobey.
A trained spotter located at 12 NE Whitewater reported blizzard conditions between the midday and evening hours on the 10th.
A trained spotter reported an estimated 8.0 inches of snow at 12 NE Whitewater.
A COOP Observer reported an estimated 6.0 inches of snow in Zortman.
Intermittent blizzard conditions were reported from midday to the early nighttime hours on the 10th, at the Glasgow Airport (KGGW) ASOS.
A trained spotter located in Bainville reported blizzard conditions as well as drifts up to 4 feet deep.
A trained spotter in Froid reported intermittent blizzard conditions from the afternoon of the 10th to the afternoon of the 11th.
A trained spotter reported an estimated 7.0 inches of snow in Froid.
A COOP Observer in Plentywood reported blizzard conditions starting on the afternoon of the 10th. Blizzard conditions were still occurring at the time of the report which was the morning of the 11th.
Intermittent blizzard conditions were reported from the afternoon of the 10th to the afternoon of the 11th, at the Sher-wood Airport (KPWD) AWOS.
A trained spotter located at 8 SW Saint Phillip reported blizzard conditions on the morning of the 11th. Times are estimated.
Intermittent blizzard conditions were reported from the morning to the early evening hours on the 11th, at the Beach Airport (K20U) ASOS.
Intermittent blizzard conditions were reported from morning to midday on the 11th, at the Glendive Airport (KGDV) ASOS.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, March 2023
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: 1082024, 1082022, 1082026, 1082017, 1082018, 1082028, 1081676, 1082019, 1082020, 1082021, 1082027, 1081677, 1082025, 1081679, 1081678.