An arctic storm system introduced strong northwest winds and moderate to heavy snowfall, generating blizzard conditions for locations mainly near and northeast of Fort Peck Lake.
Every event with a place to put it; 4 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.
An arctic storm system introduced strong northwest winds and moderate to heavy snowfall, generating blizzard conditions for locations mainly near and northeast of Fort Peck Lake.
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 Feb 17, 3:22 PM MST, 8 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 322 PM MST Tue Feb 17 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - A Blizzard Warning & High Wind Warning exist tonight for an expected period of strong winds and whiteout conditions. - Sharply colder wind chills through Thursday, as low as -35 with a Cold Advisory near the Canadian border && .DISCUSSION... WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: A surface low pressure system is forming a quasi-lee side trough/frontal boundary oriented from northwest to southeast and driving that across eastern Montana. This baroclinic zone is producing a band of mostly snow this afternoon into tonight along with strong winds. This will slow down as it heads toward the NE corner of the state to produce higher snowfall amounts with slightly less wind there. Any snow that coincides with the high winds will easily create periods of whiteout conditions in the Blizzard Warning area across portions of the Hi-Line tonight. A Winter Weather Advisory for a lesser degree of blowing snow surrounds this to cover most of NE Montana. Much colder Arctic air moves into NE Montana filling in the trough tonight with lows Wednesday night becoming near or below zero again. With elevated winds still during this time, Cold Weather Advisories are needed for at least areas near the Canadian border. The Arctic air will remain over the area into Friday and then a very slow warm up to near normal is expected early next work week. FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: HIGH confidence in a period of blowing snow with potential whiteout conditions in most of the northern/eastern zones tonight. MODERATE confidence in snow totals for this event. HIGH confidence in strong winds (40-50 mph) through Wednesday morning. MODERATE to HIGH confidence in high winds in the southern zones (55-60 mph) based on current observations while looking at NBM and HREF probabilities. && .AVIATION... LAST UPDATE: 2200Z FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR - Airport shutdown DISCUSSION: A strong system moving in with westerly wind gusts up to 60 mph is coming along with mixed precipitation turning to snow this evening. IFR will be common with falling/blowing snow, with periods of LIFR in blizzard or near blizzard conditions likely this evening for KGGW and KOLF. Snow should end at all the TAF terminals with only MVFR ceilings by about 12Z Wednesday from lingering low clouds and blowing snow. && .GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Warning until 5 AM MST Wednesday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Dawson-Garfield-McCone-Petroleum-Prairie- Southwest Phillips. Winter Weather Advisory until 6 AM MST Wednesday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Dawson-Garfield-Prairie-Richland-Southwest Phillips. Cold Weather Advisory from 2 AM to noon MST Wednesday for Central and Southeast Phillips-Northern Phillips-Northern Valley- Southwest Phillips. Blizzard Warning until 5 PM MST Wednesday for Central and Southern Valley-Daniels-Eastern Roosevelt-McCone-Northern Phillips-Northern Valley-Sheridan-Western Roosevelt. && weather.gov/glasgow
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 blizzard. Local standard time, as filed.
An NWS Employee reported near white-out blizzard conditions while driving along US-Highway 2 between Oswego and Glasgow. Time estimated by radar.
Public reported, via Facebook, blowing snow and quarter mile visibility with frequent wind gusts to 35 mph for the area in and around Culbertson.
The Poplar airport AWOS site (KPO1) reported blizzard conditions with quarter mile visibility and blowing snow. An additional period of 35 mph wind gusts created severe driving conditions in the area.
Multiple reports of blizzard conditions lasting for at least 5 hours in the Flaxville and Scobey areas. Snowfall accumulations around 3 inches drifted up to 4 feet.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Montana in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, February 2026
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: 1311904, 1311915, 1311912, 1311918.