Heavy Snow in Montana

Events

3,269

Deaths

7

Injuries

8

Damage

$3.0 million

• Winter Storm and Avalanche in Montana, February 22 to 24, 20144 deaths · 3 injured · 8 eventsHeavy snow and blowing snow causes hazardous travel across western Montana. Around a foot of snow falls along the I-90 corridor.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, February 19 to 20, 20093 deaths · 1 injured · 3 eventsAn arctic cold front moved across the forecast area during the late evening hours of the 19th and early morning hours of the 20th. Upslope flow developed behind the front.
• Blizzard and Winter Storm in Montana, March 12 to 15, 20202 deaths · 1 injured · 20 eventsThis winter storm had a favorable combination of moisture and cold arctic air. An upper level low off the west coast extended a piece of energy into the region Friday through the weekend. This low provided ample pacific moisture and enhanced lift from an upper level warm front.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, October 3 to 4, 20132 deaths · 6 eventsA potent mid-level cut-off low moved from southwest Idaho to southern Lemhi county, Idaho by 6 am MDT Thursday October 3rd and then tracked southeast into southeast Idaho by Thursday night.
• Blizzard and Heavy Snow in Montana, April 28, 20191 death · 10 injured · 56 kt wind · 28 eventsA vigorous mid-level disturbance and attendant surface cold front moved through Montana in a northwest to southeast direction on Sunday April 28th.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, December 1 to 4, 20231 death · 3 injured · $130,000 · 3 eventsA northwest flow event set up across the Northern Rockies with a series of disturbances that moved in. This brought periods of heavy snow to area mountains and light to moderate snow for many valleys.
• Avalanche and Heavy Snow in Montana, January 1 to 4, 20141 death · 78 kt wind · 30 eventsWesterly flow aloft and down-slope winds developed over the Rocky Mountain Front and North-Central plains. The strongest winds were along the Rocky Mountain Front but an approaching shortwave trough, allowed strong winds to spread across Central Montana.
• Blizzard and Flooding in Montana, May 6 to 8, 2024$3.0 million · 76 kt wind · 65 eventsA closed upper level low lifted northeast across eastern Montana on May 6th through the 9th. This low merged with a shortwave streaming from the Pacific Northwest.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, September 13 to 14, 20171 death · 2 injured · $1,000 · 1 eventA large trough with a subtropical moisture feed brought heavy snow to the mountains of western Montana. Interstate 90 was closed for a period due to the snow.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, October 11 to 13, 20081 death · $7,000 · 16 eventsAn unseasonably strong upper level low lifted out of the Great Basin on October 11th spreading a swath of heavy wet snow across northeast Montana.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, March 8 to 10, 20171 death · 1 injured · 6 eventsA plume of moisture moved over central Idaho and western Montana causing heavy precipitation. Periods of moderate to heavy snow combined with slushy conditions to cause ice and very slick conditions on the morning of the 9th.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, November 4 to 5, 20221 death · $7,000 · 74 kt wind · 14 eventsAn atmospheric river of moisture brought heavy snowfall and slow travel to the region. A cold front brought high winds and power outages, followed by snow bands later in the day on the 5th.
• Winter Storm and Avalanche in Montana, January 4 to 6, 20151 death · $3,000 · 10 eventsA long duration snow event began Saturday evening Jan. 3 while snow intensities increased on Jan. 4 to produce widespread high impacts across western Montana and central Idaho.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, January 10 to 12, 20181 death · 6 eventsAn overrunning system brought snow and a brief arctic intrusion along the Continental Divide. An upper level warm front brought heavy snowfall during the evening of the 11th from central Idaho to areas along and east of the Idaho and Montana border and created difficult travel.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, December 1 to 2, 20121 death · 3 eventsSouthwest flow brought above normal Pacific moisture impacting mainly higher elevations of the Northern Rockies where snow amounts between 5 to 8 inches fell.
• Heavy Snow and Winter Weather in Montana, December 19 to 20, 20121 death · 3 eventsA moist overrunning snow event that brought up to 10 inches across northwest Montana. There were multiple car slide-offs and accidents that were reported during this event.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, February 9, 19991 death · 2 eventsConner-12 inches new snowStevensville-8 inches new snowHamilton-12 inches new snowNumerous car wrecks were reported due to heavy snow and slick roads, including a fatal crash near Arlee and a seven car pileup north of Hamilton.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, August 28, 20241 death · 1 eventAn early season snowfall event brough about 10 to 12 inches of snow to Glacier National Park. Park officials closed roads, but people were still stranded in campgrounds and buses had slid off the roads.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, April 9, 2001$1.2 million · 1 eventAn early spring snowstorm blasted parts of South Central and Southeast Montana on April 8th and April 9th. Southern Big Horn County was the hardest hit. An estimated 600 power poles were knocked down from heavy, wet snow, ice, and wind.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, June 3 to 4, 2001$750,000 · 4 eventsA late spring storm brought significant rain and snow to both west central and southwest Montana. As temperatures cooled after nightfall, the lower valleys began to see the rain change to snow.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, February 18 to 22, 20236 injured · 68 kt wind · 34 eventsA strong storm system resulted in a long duration snow event which was the heaviest across the Little Belt Mountains and Rocky Mountain Front. Area valleys and portions of the plains experienced blustery winds and a few inches of snow.
• Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, March 14 to 15, 2023$200,000 · 59 kt wind · 19 eventsA Pacific weather system arrived from the west and ushered in an unsettled weather pattern that persisted through mid-week. Strong wind occurred along the Rocky Mountain Front and portions of Central and Southwest Montana.
• Heavy Snow and High Wind in Montana, February 22 to 25, 2012$314,000 · 65 kt wind · 6 eventsAn impressive winter storm system moved into north central Idaho and western Montana on the 22nd and continued to effect the region through the 24th. Initially a steady stream of Pacific moisture moved in from the west.
• Heavy Snow in Montana, June 13, 2001$354,000 · 1 event14 inches snowfall reported by spotter at the Montana State University campus in Bozeman...Numerous tree limbs and power lines were downed across town by the weight of the wet snow (automobile damage also occurred due to the falling tree limbs)...damage cost estimate based upon…
• Heavy Snow in Montana, May 8, 1997$200,000 · 1 eventA 103,000 gallon water tank at Lake McDonald Lodge collapsed under the weight of accumulated winter snow. The tank, 20 feet tall and 31 feet in diameter, would cost $200,000 to replace.

Heavy Snow everywhereEvery kind of event in Montana

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.