A very strong surface low over the Dakotas brought very gusty north to northwest winds along with snow across far southeast Montana. The combination of the falling snow and strong winds, as well as snow already on the ground, resulted in blizzard conditions across Fallon County.
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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 BYZ wrote it up.
A very strong surface low over the Dakotas brought very gusty north to northwest winds along with snow across far southeast Montana. The combination of the falling snow and strong winds, as well as snow already on the ground, resulted in blizzard conditions across Fallon County.
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 Billings, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Mar 11, 2:32 AM MST, 5 hours 28 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
232 AM MST Sat Mar 11 2023
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Sunday...
The upper low, now located in NE Montana, has moved east far
enough that it's associated front is now through all of SE
Montana, and with it, the snow and blowing snow threat has ended,
though impacts still occur in western North Dakota and NE Montana.
However, the tight pressure gradient behind the front lingers
through this afternoon. Combined with soundings indicating
downward motion and periods of 50 kt winds at 800 mb, and winds
gusting 45-55 mph are expected come sunrise, and persisting
through the early afternoon at and east of Rosebud County, with
the higher hills seeing the higher-end gusts. Although admittedly hard
to determine at night, it seems like little snow has fallen over
SE MT, hence the blowing snow threat should remain at a minimu.
Winds will remain breezy along the foothills west of Billings as
well.
Upper ridging looks to build into the area come Sunday, bringing
with it dry conditions and a warming trend (after temps only
reaching mid 20s to mid 30s today). Downslope warming looks to
begin across south-central MT and bring temperatures into the
upper 30s, but a persistent north winds in eastern MT will keep
their highs only reaching the mid 20s.
Vertz
Sunday night through Friday...
Cluster analysis and ensembles continue to provide high
confidence in an upper ridge building over our region early this
coming week. This will lead to a notable warming trend with highs
Monday mainly in the 40s, and reaching the upper 40s to upper 50s
by Tuesday. Lower elevations will be dry Monday/Tuesday with a
slight chance of snow showers over the high country thanks to
increasing SW flow aloft bringing in some Pacific moisture.
Ensembles are in a little better agreement with regards to an
overall split upper trough moving through the region around
midweek. Precipitation (rain/snow) looks to move into the area
around Wednesday and may linger through Thursday, followed by
another dry upper ridge on Friday.
As for snowfall potential with the midweek system...the NBM is
showing just 20-35% chance for 1 inch of snowfall across the
plains. The southwest mountains have >60% chance for greater than
4 inches. Temperatures will cool Thursday and Friday as the system
moves through with highs in the 30s in the east, and low to mid
40s in the west. BT
&&
.AVIATION...
Strong west to northwest winds will occur today. Low-level
windshear will be an impact for KMLS & KBHK this morning until
strong winds aloft mix down to the surface, then very strong winds
will be occurring at the surface. Winds will slowly decrease through
the evening. There is a small chance for blowing snow at KBHK this
morning when winds pick up, which would bring about localized LIFR
conditions. Vertz
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 032 012/033 017/051 037/056 034/048 027/043 024/046
0/N 00/B 00/B 01/B 24/O 42/S 10/U
LVM 036 016/038 024/050 037/052 034/045 025/040 021/046
0/N 10/B 00/B 12/O 46/O 31/B 10/U
HDN 031 006/033 009/049 025/058 029/047 022/042 019/046
1/N 00/B 00/U 01/B 14/O 42/S 11/U
MLS 025 006/022 008/041 023/050 027/040 020/035 019/038
1/N 00/B 00/U 01/B 12/O 32/S 10/U
4BQ 027 009/026 011/043 026/053 030/046 024/038 020/038
0/N 00/B 00/U 01/B 02/R 42/S 11/U
BHK 023 004/019 003/034 020/048 023/040 015/030 010/030
1/N 00/E 00/U 00/B 02/S 42/S 11/B
SHR 030 005/030 011/046 025/053 029/044 020/036 016/038
0/N 00/U 00/U 01/B 14/O 53/S 11/U
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
WY...None.
&&
weather.gov/billingsThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
Snow and blowing snow occurred across the area. The Baker Airport reported winds gusting 40-60 mph with visibilities of 1/4 mile. US 12 was closed from Miles City to the North Dakota border and Route 7 was closed from Baker to Ekalaka.
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: 1079500.