A cold front passage on Saturday the 14th across Southwest MT helped mix strong winds from aloft down to the surface, which produced isolated high winds.
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 TFX wrote it up.
A cold front passage on Saturday the 14th across Southwest MT helped mix strong winds from aloft down to the surface, which produced isolated high winds.
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 Mar 14, 1:50 PM MST, 9 minutes earlier. Its key messages:
Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 250 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026 .KEY MESSAGES... - Snow will continue across portions of North-central Montana through tonight with blowing snow along the Rocky Mountain Front and portions of North-central Montana. - On Monday winds will increase and it will begin to warm up across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. - It will be windy at times Tuesday through Friday with temperatures warming up to well-above seasonal averages to end the work week. && .DISCUSSION... - Meteorological Overview: This afternoon snow will continue across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. Along the Rocky Mountain Front through the I- 15 Corridor there will be blizzard conditions for the next several hours. This afternoon snow showers will affect Southwestern Montana as a cold front moves southward. These snow showers will primarily affect the I-90 corridor between Three Forks and Bozeman. These snow showers will end by around 6 PM. Some of these snow showers will be heavy. Most of the snow in North-central Montana will end by around 6PM. Across the Montana Highway 200/US Highway 87 Corridor and the Little Belts snow will linger into early Sunday morning with most of the heavy snow ending by around 6 PM. Due to the cold front combined with skies beginning to clear by tomorrow morning it will be cold across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana tomorrow. On Sunday an upper-level ridge begins to move over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will bring dry weather and allow temperatures to warm up some across the area. Sunday night into Monday the pressure gradient will increase. This combined with the strengthening low-level and mid-level winds will bring windy conditions to the Rocky Mountain Front and plains west of I-15. On Monday the upper-level ridge remains over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will allow temperatures to warm up some more with breezy conditions. An upper-level shortwave will move through the upper-level flow and bring light precipitation to some of the mountains across North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. Due to the increasing winds Monday morning there is the potential for blowing snow along the Rocky Mountain Front and Highway 200/US Highway 87 Corridor. On Tuesday the upper-level ridge remains over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. This will allow temperatures to warm up some more. On Tuesday the pressure gradient increases and there will be strong low-level and mid-level winds. As a result on Tuesday it will be windy across North-central Montana with the strongest winds along the Rocky Mountain Front. Wednesday through Friday the upper-level ridge remains over North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana this will allow temperatures to continue to warm up with mostly dry weather. On Wednesday and Thursday the pressure gradient and upper-level winds remain strong over North-central Montana. As a result on Wednesday and Thursday it will be windy across North-central Montana. -IG - Forecast Confidence & Scenarios: Sunday morning there is a 40 - 80% chance for low temperatures of zero degrees or colder across most of North-central Montana. On Monday there is greater than a 90% chance for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater along the Rocky Mountain Front and plains west of I-15. Across portions of the lower-elevations of Cascade County and Judith Basin County there is a 30 - 60% chance for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater. On Monday there is greater than an 80% chance for wind gusts of 75 mph or greater along the Rocky Mountain Front. Tuesday and Wednesday along the Rocky Mountain Front there is greater than a 60% chance for wind gusts of 75 mph or greater. On Tuesday across much of the rest of North-central Montana there is a 40 - 80% for wind gusts of 55 mph or greater. On Wednesday there is greater than a 50% chance for high temperatures of 70 degrees or greater across the lower-elevations of North-central, Central, and Southwestern Montana. -IG && .AVIATION... 14/12z TAF Period Widespread light snow will affect Central MT through about 6z Sun before decreasing. Some blowing snow could impact terminals later this morning/through this afternoon. Over Southwest MT, expect a frontal passage, mostly during the afternoon hours. Rain/snow or an isolated thunderstorm will accompany the frontal passage. A few strong wind gusts are also possible. Overall, expect decreasing clouds and lighter winds after 6z Sun. Mountains/passes will be obscured across the CWA through at least 6z Sun. Brusda && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 0 27 15 47 / 70 0 20 30 CTB -4 25 13 45 / 20 0 10 10 HLN 6 34 23 50 / 80 0 40 60 BZN 11 34 21 53 / 60 10 40 60 WYS 0 28 16 41 / 50 10 50 70 DLN 14 36 27 55 / 40 0 20 20 HVR 1 26 10 45 / 70 0 0 10 LWT 2 24 10 46 / 80 10 10 30 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... Winter Weather Advisory until 6 PM MDT this evening for Bears Paw Mountains and Southern Blaine-Eastern Toole and Liberty-Hill County-Northern Blaine County-Western and Central Chouteau County. Blizzard Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for Cascade County below 5000ft-Eastern Pondera and Eastern Teton. Winter Storm Warning until 6 PM MDT this evening for Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains-Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains- Fergus County below 4500ft-Gates of the Mountains-Helena Valley- Judith Basin County and Judith Gap-Little Belt and Highwood Mountains-Meagher County Valleys-Northwest Beaverhead County- Snowy and Judith Mountains-Upper Blackfoot and MacDonald Pass. Blizzard Warning until 6 PM MDT this evening for East Glacier Park Region-Eastern Glacier, Western Toole, and Central Pondera- Northern High Plains-Southern High Plains-Southern Rocky Mountain Front. High Wind Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening for Beaverhead and Western Madison below 6000ft-Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains-Canyon Ferry Area-Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains- Gallatin Valley-Gallatin and Madison County Mountains and Centennial Mountains-Madison River Valley-Missouri Headwaters- Northwest Beaverhead County-Ruby Mountains and Southern Beaverhead Mountains. && http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls
Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1126 AM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1123 AM Snow 5 NE Hilger 47.31N 109.28W
03/14/2026 M13.0 Inch Fergus MT Trained Spotter
Spotter reported 13 inches of snow.
&&
ACWPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1140 AM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1139 AM Snow 7 SSE Ulm 47.33N 111.48W
03/14/2026 M7.0 Inch Cascade MT Trained Spotter
7 inches snow total accumulations.
&&
ACWPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1204 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1202 PM Snow 2 SE Black Eagle 47.51N 111.25W
03/14/2026 M6.5 Inch Cascade MT NWS Employee
Storm total so far. Snowing at the time of
observation.
&&
JTGPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1208 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1030 AM Snow 1 E East Helena 46.59N 111.89W
03/14/2026 M3.0 Inch Lewis and Clark MT Trained Spotter
&&
JTGPreliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1245 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
0630 AM Snow 4 SSE Bynum 47.93N 112.29W
03/14/2026 M15.0 Inch Teton MT CO-OP Observer
CO-OP Observer station BYNM8 Bynum 4 SSE.
&&Preliminary Local Storm Report
National Weather Service Great Falls MT
1246 PM MDT Sat Mar 14 2026
..TIME... ...EVENT... ...CITY LOCATION... ...LAT.LON...
..DATE... ....MAG.... ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
..REMARKS..
1145 AM Snow 2 SE Lewistown 47.04N 109.39W
03/14/2026 M20.0 Inch Fergus MT Trained Spotter
&&
JTGThe national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
4 high wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Mesonet station LMRM8 Antelope RAWS measured a 66 mph wind gust. Mesonet station MTMQM Monida Pass also measured a high wind gust.
Mesonet station WRSM8 Wise River measured a 60 mph wind gust.
Mesonet station MTM14 BLM - Argenta measured a 66 mph wind gust. AWOS station KRVF and mesonet station MTM16 6.6 N Dell also measured a high wind gust.
Mesonet station MTM17 BLM - Virginia City measured a 60 mph wind gust.
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, March 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: 1326632, 1326630, 1326631, 1326634.