An atmospheric river moved onto the west coast and across the northern Rockies. This moisture overran an arctic airmass at the surface which resulted in heavy snow across the Billings Forecast area.
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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.
An atmospheric river moved onto the west coast and across the northern Rockies. This moisture overran an arctic airmass at the surface which resulted in heavy snow across the Billings Forecast area.
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 Feb 2, 2:52 PM MST, 5 hours 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
252 PM MST Sun Feb 2 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Cold and snowy weather through Wednesday, with sub-zero wind
chills.
- Heavy mountain snowfall thru Wednesday (2-4 feet in the
Beartooth-Absarokas); heavy snow expected at lower elevations
(8-16" west of Custer County); monitor the forecast.
- Another period of snow is possible Thursday night to Saturday.
- Below normal temperatures expected for at least the next 10-14
days.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Monday Night...
Upper level trough and energy shoots through the region through
this evening. Ongoing snowfall across the area is producing light
accumulations, 1-3 inches into this evening. Another surge of
energy and Pacific moisture will waft through the region tonight
and for much of Monday. The result of this will be some of the
heaviest snowfall for all locations, with ongoing Winter Storm
Warnings for Custer county and west. Additional snowfall amounts
of 4 to 16 inches is forecast, tonight through Tuesday morning.
The lowest amounts for locations in a Winter Storm Warning, are
located in Custer County, where 4 to 7 inches. Higher amounts are
forecast moving west of Custer. Winter Weather Advisories are in
place through Monday night for Carter, Fallon, Powder River and
Sheridan Counties with 2-6 inches forecast. There is also an
Advisory in effect for the Bighorn and Pryor Mountains through
Monday night, with 6 to 14 inches of snow forecast (south and west
facing slopes will see the most snowfall). As for the western
mountains (including Cooke City), an additional 2 to 4 feet of
snow is forecast through Wednesday. Expect increasing avalanche
danger this week.
Deeper dendritic growth occurring over the west-central zones is
producing heavier snowfall right now. Expect this to diminish for
a few hours tonight before rebounding Monday morning when model
soundings show deep DGZs over 10kft. The Beartooth and Red Lodge
Foothills are seeing snowfall right now. The best timeframe for
heavy snowfall will be Monday morning, when surface flow shifts to
the NNE. Until then, snowfall will be limited by shallow upslope
and westerly flow at the mountaintop level.
Monday afternoon, the deep stream of Pacific moisture will begin
to lift northward. This will quickly reduce QPF and snow amounts,
south-east of Musselshell and northern Rosebud Counties.
Additional snowfall amounts of 1-3 inches are forecast in the
northern and western zones, Monday night through Tuesday morning.
Overnight temperatures will drop into the low single digits above
and below zero. Apparent temperatures will be in the minus teens
to around 20F below. Prepare for very cold conditions tomorrow
morning. Tomorrow, high temperatures will be in the low single
digits to low 10sF (warmest along the western foothills). Monday
night temperatures will be in the single digits above and below
zero, along with apparent temperatures as low as -25F.
There is VERY HIGH confidence in minor to moderate impacts for
the Monday morning and evening commutes. Those with travel plans
should prepare for very difficult travel conditions. Those
recreating in the high country should be prepared for extremely
difficult and life-threatening conditions this week.
Matos
Tuesday through Saturday...
Models continue to indicate a backing mid level flow from Monday
night into Tuesday which should cause the main area of
precipitation to shift north and west (in line with the
baroclinicity). This will bring accumulating snow to an end
(temporarily) for much of our lower elevations east and south
from Billings. However, our western mountains/foothills will
continue to see some accumulating snow during this time, and the
depth of cold air should be sufficient for shallow upslope light
snow/flurries over the southern foothills (e.g. Red Lodge). We
have continued to lower guidance PoPs and QPF in the Red Lodge
area due to anticipated brief downslope.
Late Tuesday night and Wednesday we should see a period of snow
pick up again and spread over the area as a stronger trough
ejecting from the upper low of the Pacific NW coast moves across
our region. Soundings suggest a fairly deep dendritic growth zone
during this time which should lead to a period of efficient
snowfall rates. Currently, the greatest potential for 2+ inches of
snow in the 24-hr period ending Wednesday afternoon is from
Billings westward (40-65% at lower elevations). Accumulations to
the east will be minimal (<1"), especially in the SE corner of the
state, while the western mountains continue to see steady
accumulation (an additional 6-12").
As the upper trough exits to the east we will see subsidence and
drying from west to east Wednesday evening.
Cluster analysis suggest high confidence (85%) for a period of
dry (but still chilly) weather late Wednesday night thru
Thursday. However, from late Thursday night to Saturday we could
see another period of snowfall as the aforementioned upper low off
the Pacific NW coast finally opens and tracks through the
region, while cold air remains in place east of the Rockies.
Current ensembles suggest a 1-3" snowfall, but given ascent and
some instability through a still deep dendritic layer, there is
potential for higher totals. Timing-wise, this upper wave should
exit to the east sometime late Saturday or Saturday night followed
by a drying trend.
Temperatures will remain colder than normal through the extended
period. Coldest air looks to be Monday night into Wednesday with
single digit to lower teen highs and sub-zero lows. There should
be slight moderation Thursday to Saturday, with highs mostly teens
and 20s. We will have a widespread healthy snow cover by the end
of the week and this will help to hold temps down as well. BT
&&
.AVIATION...
Widespread areas of snow with IFR to LIFR conditions will persist
through tonight at the lower elevations. Mountains will also be
obscured as snow continues in the high country. BT/PM
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 001/004 902/005 000/008 904/021 008/023 006/027 008/023
99/S 74/S 48/S 32/S 45/S 42/S 22/B
LVM 005/011 000/012 005/023 009/030 014/029 012/029 008/027
99/S 77/S 79/S 32/S 55/S 42/S 12/B
HDN 901/005 901/009 902/008 909/021 004/026 005/025 002/022
+8/S 72/S 38/S 41/B 45/S 52/S 22/B
MLS 902/003 000/007 000/007 913/010 902/020 005/018 902/015
94/S 63/S 26/S 20/B 33/S 31/B 00/B
4BQ 003/007 003/012 004/010 905/020 007/024 008/022 004/022
86/S 30/E 15/S 20/B 33/S 41/B 10/B
BHK 905/003 905/006 903/009 911/010 905/019 003/016 902/014
93/S 53/S 16/S 20/U 23/S 42/S 10/B
SHR 003/013 902/016 901/016 902/028 008/029 006/027 003/027
89/S 10/E 15/S 21/B 34/S 43/S 11/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Winter Storm Warning in effect until 5 AM MST Tuesday FOR
ZONES
29>32-34-40-42-56>58-63>66-138-139-141-169-170-172-173-228-235.
Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 5 AM MST Tuesday FOR
ZONES 33-36-37-171.
Winter Storm Warning in effect until 5 PM MST Wednesday FOR
ZONES 67-68.
WY...Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 5 AM MST Tuesday FOR
ZONES 198-199.
&&
weather.gov/billingsPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Billings MT
627 PM MST Sun Feb 2 2025
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0620 PM Snow 3 NNW Cooke City 45.06N 109.94W
02/02/2025 E32.0 Inch Park MT Other Federal
Fisher Creek SNOTEL 20 to 1 SLR. Total Since Jan 31st.
0622 PM Snow 3 NNW Cooke City 45.05N 109.94W
02/02/2025 E21.0 Inch Park MT Other Federal
White Mill SNOTEL 15 to 1 SLR. Total Since Jan 31st.
0623 PM Snow 21 NW Cooke City 45.22N 110.24W
02/02/2025 E11.0 Inch Park MT Other Federal
Monument Peak SNOTEL 15 to 1 SLR. Total Since Jan 31st.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall of 7 inches was reported, along with blowing and drifting snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Wyoming in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Wyoming, 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: 1235355.