Increased drought conditions expanded eastward during the last few weeks of this month into a portion of Phillips 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 GGW wrote it up.
Increased drought conditions expanded eastward during the last few weeks of this month into a portion of Phillips 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 Glasgow, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 16, 3:30 PM MST, 8 hours 30 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Glasgow MT 330 PM MST Mon Feb 16 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Above normal temperatures continue through Tuesday. - A significant change in the weather pattern Tuesday night with cold temperatures, accumulating snow, and gusty winds. - Winter Storm Watch and High Wind Watch from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning expanded for the possibility of blizzard conditions with strong winds, snow, and whiteout conditions. && .DISCUSSION... WEATHER PATTERN OVERVIEW: Strong upper troughing continues to deepen off the west coast while ridging strengthens to the east peaking over the midwest. Warm, southerly flow will keep temperatures above average through Tuesday before a steep drop in temperatures for Tuesday night lows. A surface low pressure system moving through the region Tuesday will provide forcing for ascent with Pacific moisture for potentially significant snowfall along with colder temperatures as 500mb heights decrease with the eastward progression of the trough. Lee cyclogenesis on the northwest edge of this system puts the heaviest snow in the far northeast corner of Montana. Meanwhile, there will be strong east winds ahead of the system during the day on Tuesday in the NE half of the forecast area. Then, an area of strong NW winds move through the area behind the cold front late Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening. There will be a period of intense snow Tuesday evening in many areas along and east of line through Whitewater, Glasgow and Terry at the same time that the strongest NW winds move through the area. The snow and wind has the potential to create blizzard conditions. The main band of snow moves east late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning and exits the state by Wednesday afternoon. The southern zones now have a High Wind Watch in effect based on probabilities for a gust to around 60 mph Tuesday afternoon and evening being above 50%, especially for higher elevations of the Little Rockies and Big Sheeps. Much colder air moves into the region Tuesday night and lows Wednesday night will be below zero or near zero. The cold air with mostly dry conditions remains over the area into the weekend. FORECAST CONFIDENCE & DEVIATIONS: Moderate to high confidence in a period of heavy snow and blowing snow with potential whiteout conditions in most of the northern/eastern zones Tuesday night. High confidence in strong winds through Wednesday morning, though moderate for widespread gusts to 60 mph looking at NBM and HREF probabilities. Snow totals have fluctuated up again to approach warning criteria of 6" in spots near the Canadian border. With significant pressure falls and a very tight temperature gradient with this system, blended winds with NBM 90th and hi-res models in the short term. -JEZ && .AVIATION... LAST UPDATE: 2200Z FLIGHT CAT RANGE: VFR, MVFR to IFR after 12Z DISCUSSION: VFR conditions with some mid to high clouds through tonight. A strong system moving in Tuesday morning will gradually lower ceilings and increase precipitation chances in the afternoon. Cold air advection will start a transition to snow around 00Z with IFR visibility in blowing snow, particularly for KGGW. LLWS: Pockets of shear over 40 knots 04-14Z Tuesday. && .GGW WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... High Wind Watch from Tuesday morning through Tuesday evening for Central and Southeast Phillips-Dawson-Garfield-McCone-Petroleum- Prairie-Southwest Phillips. Winter Storm Watch from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning for Central and Southern Valley-Daniels-Dawson-Eastern Roosevelt-McCone-Northern Phillips-Northern Valley-Prairie- Richland-Sheridan-Western Roosevelt. && weather.gov/glasgow
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 drought. Local standard time, as filed.
D2 drought conditions increased from the west into the western edge of southwest Phillips County.
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: 1311927.