Winter Storm — Cascade County Below 5000ft, Montana

2023-10-24 to 2023-10-25 · Cascade County Below 5000ft, Montana

Event narrative

Numerous reports of snow reaching winter storm criteria as well as impacts from the snow were received over this period. Official NWS obs at WFO Great Falls totaled 6 inches new snow for the event. Both an NWS employee and the public reported snowfall amounts in excess of 8 inches around Great Falls. NWS employees on their way in to work saw two jack-knifed semis on Interstate 15 blocking an exit ramp.

Wider weather episode

A robust upper trough, embedded waves, and jet energy supported two rounds of snow across North-central and Southwest Montana October 25-27, 2023. The first round, Oct 25 & 26, was more impactful to North-central and Central Montana, while the second round of snow, Oct 26 & 27, was more impactful to Southwest through Central Montana.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1138644. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.