Winter Weather — Little Belt and Highwood Mountains, Montana

2024-04-06 to 2024-04-07 · Little Belt and Highwood Mountains, Montana

Event narrative

Snotel equipment at Spur Park measured 10 inches storm total snow over 24 hours. Additionally, Showdown Ski area measured 10 inches new snow over 24 hours. Given warm pavement temperatures, less intense snow than across Fergus County, and the limited spatial extent of snow reaching winter storm criteria snow amounts, Winter Storm caliber impacts were not realized over a noteworthy portion of this forecast zone.

Wider weather episode

A negatively tilted longwave trough with an associated closed low lifted NE from ID toward the northern US. Gulf moisture was drawn northwestward across eastern portions of the plains thanks to a developing surface low across the Great Plains. Isentropic ascent and favorable upper level dynamics related in a band of snow, impacting Fergus county the greatest. mid level northwesterly flow resulted in a single wind gust in excess of 58 mph in eastern Fergus county, where snow was less impactful.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1162257. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.