Upper level ridging briefly built in across the Northern Rockies, though upper level troughing quickly broke down this ridging going into the 25th. This break down of the ridge brought gusty winds to the region, though the gusty winds were only locally strong.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 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 TFX wrote it up.
Upper level ridging briefly built in across the Northern Rockies, though upper level troughing quickly broke down this ridging going into the 25th. This break down of the ridge brought gusty winds to the region, though the gusty winds were only locally strong.
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 Feb 25, 3:42 AM MST, 33 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 342 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Strong winds over portions of North Central MT today. - Scattered rain or snow showers today and tonight. - Areas of field and stream flooding continue over portions of North Central MT. - Warm temperatures later this week, followed by a late winter storm early next week. && .DISCUSSION... - Meteorological Overview: A Pacific cold front continues to move from west to east across the CWA this morning. Scattered rain/snow showers continue to fall along the front. Visibility is less than 1 mile at times in heavier snow showers. The showers should be brief and most showers end by mid morning. Gusty west winds develop behind the front, with the strongest winds late this morning and early this afternoon along the Rocky Mountain Front and across Judith Basin County. Thus no changes to the current high wind warning area. A few scattered snow showers continue tonight, but overall a drying trend begins, as an upper level ridge of high pressure starts to build over the CWA on Wednesday. The ridge will be over the CWA by Thursday, allowing for the first of several mild days across the CWA. The upper level ridge generally resides over the CWA through the weekend, resulting in mild temperatures and mostly dry conditions. For early next week, an upper level trof will move eastward across the CWA. This will result in cooler temperatures and a chance for accumulating snowfall across much of the CWA. Some mountain areas of Central MT could receive in excess of 8 inches of snowfall. Thus winter statements might be needed for this system. - Forecast Confidence & Scenarios: There is a 90 percent chance of wind speeds over 60 mph today along the front Range of the Rockies while there is an 80 percent chance over the adjacent Plains and across Judith Basin County. There is another chance for stronger winds on Thursday along and west of I-15 over North Central MT. However, right now there is only a 50 percent chance of wind speeds reaching warning criteria, thus no wind statements for this event at this time. For early next week, there is a 20 percent chance that the Rocky Mountain Front and mountains of Central MT could receive over 8 inches of snowfall for Mon/Tue...at lower elevations, there is a 20 percent chance of 2 inches of snowfall. Brusda && .AVIATION... 25/06Z TAF Period Mid-high level clouds will increase after 06z with areas of mountain obscuration and precipitation developing along the continental divide in association with an incoming Pacific storm system. A period of MVFR/low-VFR CIGS/VIS are possible at mainly SW MT terminals late tonight with the passage of this system. Brief but intense showers with rain changing to snow and an abrupt shift to gusty west winds could affect KHLN, KEKS and KBZN between 09z and 12z. Ongoing mountain wave turbulence and areas of low level wind shear will increase overnight as mid-upper level westerly flow increases with widespread/gusty surface winds developing at all terminals by Tuesday morning. Hoenisch Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation weather and hazard information. && .HYDROLOGY... Mild temperatures continue to result in the melting of lower elevation snow across the region. Several more days of mild temperatures will allow for melting of snow to occur at increasing elevations through the remainder of the week. Given subsurface ground temperatures still below freezing, flooding of low-lying areas will remain a concern for at least a couple more days where snowmelt is still readily occurring. In addition to low-lying areas, creeks and streams emanating from island ranges across the plains will see increased flows, potentially flooding adjacent low- lying areas. Ice jam flooding will remain a concern until most ice is melted on rivers across the region. -AM && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 45 31 49 35 / 10 10 0 0 CTB 41 28 42 29 / 10 0 0 0 HLN 42 29 43 25 / 10 20 0 0 BZN 39 22 39 16 / 30 20 0 0 WYS 33 12 34 2 / 50 30 0 0 DLN 36 22 39 19 / 10 10 0 0 HVR 47 26 48 27 / 20 0 0 0 LWT 40 27 43 28 / 10 0 0 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 11 PM MST this evening for East Glacier Park Region-Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera- Northern High Plains-Southern High Plains-Southern Rocky Mountain Front-Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass. High Wind Warning until 8 PM MST this evening for Judith Basin County and Judith Gap. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
Special Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1253 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
MTZ307-308-315-316-319-322-250845-
Helena Valley MT-Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains MT-
Southern Rocky Mountain Front MT-Southern High Plains MT-
Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass MT-Gates of the Mountains MT-
1253 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
...GUSTY SNOW SHOWERS WILL IMPACT SOUTHWESTERN LEWIS AND CLARK AND
NORTH CENTRAL JEFFERSON COUNTIES THROUGH 145 AM MST...
At 1250 AM MST, Doppler radar was tracking gusty snow showers 11
miles west of Wolf Creek, moving northeast at 50 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph. Falling snow and poor visibility.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds, combined with falling snow will create areas
of poor driving visibility.
Locations impacted include...
Lincoln, Marysville, Rimini, Spring Meadow Lake State Park, Canyon
Creek, Austin, and Bean Lake.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If traveling, consider delaying travel until the snow shower moves
through.
&&
LAT...LON 4743 11237 4648 11201 4633 11233 4638 11237
4645 11231 4665 11231 4666 11241 4670 11242
4670 11253 4684 11254 4684 11267 4703 11280
4717 11279 4718 11291 4739 11306 4748 11306
4750 11312 4763 11314
TIME...MOT...LOC 0749Z 239DEG 50KT 4704 11232
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
BrusdaSpecial Weather Statement
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
143 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
MTZ315-322>324-250930-
Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains MT-Missouri Headwaters MT-
Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass MT-Canyon Ferry Area MT-
143 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
...A STRONG SNOW SQUALL WILL IMPACT SOUTHERN LEWIS AND CLARK...WEST
CENTRAL BROADWATER...NORTHERN MADISON AND JEFFERSON COUNTIES THROUGH
230 AM MST...
At 140 AM MST, Doppler radar was tracking a strong snow squall 7
7 miles north of Boulder, moving east at 45 mph.
HAZARD...Wind gusts up to 50 mph. Falling snow and poor visibility.
SOURCE...Radar indicated.
IMPACT...Gusty winds, combined with falling snow will create areas
of poor driving visibility.
Locations impacted include...
I-15 from south of Helena to north of Butte, including areas around
Clancy, Boulder and Basin.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...
If traveling, consider delaying travel until the snow shower moves
through.
&&
LAT...LON 4627 11255 4630 11257 4644 11223 4655 11155
4590 11177 4580 11232 4585 11243 4591 11241
4602 11244 4605 11248 4608 11246 4613 11252
4618 11251 4617 11256 4623 11260
TIME...MOT...LOC 0839Z 282DEG 38KT 4634 11215
MAX HAIL SIZE...0.00 IN
MAX WIND GUST...50 MPH
BrusdaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
148 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1159 PM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 14 SW Simms 47.33N 112.10W
02/24/2025 M60 MPH Lewis and Clark MT AWOS
AWOS station K1GM Golf.
&&
BrusdaPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
211 AM MST Tue Feb 25 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0100 AM Non-Tstm Wnd Gst 8 NE Bannack 45.25N 112.88W
02/25/2025 M55 MPH Beaverhead MT Mesonet
Mesonet station MTM14 BLM - Argenta.
&&
BrusdaThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station MTM17 BLM - Virginia City City measured sustained winds of 45 mph, averaged over an hour. The sensor also measured a 67 mph gust.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2025
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: 1245057.