Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Montana, February 25 to 27, 2024

Name: Winter Storm and Winter Weather in Montana, February 25 to 27, 2024
Start: 2024-02-25T12:00
End: 2024-02-27T05:00
Location: Montana

February 25 to 27, 2024 · NWS MSO · 6 events in 6 counties and zones

A Pacific trough and associated cold front brought gusty winds and a period of heavy snow.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 6

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 MSO wrote it up.

A Pacific trough and associated cold front brought gusty winds and a period of heavy snow.

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 Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 24, 2:30 PM MST, 21 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 24, 2:30 PM MST, 21 hours 30 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 winter weather, 2 strong wind, 1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, Lower Clark Fork Region

When: February 25, 12:00 PM MST to February 26, 7:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Snowfall near 7 inches was reported at Lookout Pass by the morning of the 26th, with rates averaging around 0.5 inch per hour. Snow covered roads at times, especially near Lookout Pass. Chains were also required at times over the pass. Lower valleys experienced only light snow amounts.

Winter Weather, West Glacier Region

When: February 25, 5:00 PM MST to February 27, 5:00 AM MST
Where: West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winds gusted to 53 mph at Marias Pass and 52 mph at Hungry Horse RAWS with a higher elevation gusts of 104 mph at Tunnel Ridge. Periods of snow fell with 1-3 inches at lower elevations, and up to 7 inches fell at Marias Pass. Travel was difficult at times.

Winter Weather, Butte / Blackfoot Region

When: February 26, 12:30 AM MST to 12:30 PM MST
Where: Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Up to 3 inches of snow fell at lower elevations with 6 inches for Discovery Ski leading to slick roads at times. Wind gusts generally stayed below 40 mph but a 55 mph gust occurred at MacDonald Pass.

Strong Wind, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When: February 26, 1:00 AM MST to 6:00 AM MST
Where: Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Measured: 39 kt (45 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Utility Company
Coordinates: 48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Several power outages were reported due to gusty winds with a total of 150-200 customers without power. Areas impacted by the outage included Thompson Falls, Ashely Lake, Heron, and Hot Springs. Very little snow fell in the valleys.

Strong Wind, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When: February 26, 1:00 AM MST to 5:00 AM MST
Where: Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Measured: 49 kt (56 mph) estimated gust
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Mesonet
Coordinates: 47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

There was a 58 mph wind gust at Somers with a 59 mph gust near Creston. Power outages occurred for 61 customers. Only a dusting of snow fell.

Winter Storm, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When: February 26, 3:00 AM MST to 11:00 AM MST
Where: Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.508, -113.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lost Trail Pass is estimated to have received around 10 inches of snow in 4 hours between 7am and 11am. Severe driving conditions were observed at Lolo Pass with 10 inches of new snow as well.

What these are

Winter Weather: Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.
Strong Wind: Non-thunderstorm winds below high wind criteria that nonetheless caused damage or casualties.
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

Every storm in Montana in 2024 Every state in 2024 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 2024

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1156033, 1156023, 1156040, 1156020, 1156029, 1156038.