Blizzard — Judith Basin County and Judith Gap, Montana

2025-01-22 · Judith Basin County and Judith Gap, Montana

Event narrative

A combination of public reports, AWOS observations, and law enforcement reports combine to support blizzard conditions from mid-morning through early afternoon on the 22nd. Judith Basin Sheriff reported severe driving conditions due to roads across the county being drifted over faster than they can be cleared (715 AM Post). Intermittent AWOS observations reported visibility around one-quarter mile, with gusts between 35 and 40 mph (9 AM and 11 AM). Further, a public report from social media reported visibility of 50 feet between Raynesford and Geyser from falling and blowing snow around 1 PM. These reports combine to total around or a bit more than three hours of blizzard conditions in total in this zone.

Wider weather episode

The combination of an increasing pressure gradient, cross barrier flow, and an upper level wave resulted in a period of falling and blowing snow, most notable from the Little Belts eastward through Fergus County, where blizzard conditions were observed on the 22nd. On the front end of the event, strong winds were observed from Cut Bank westward toward the Northern Rocky Mountain Front.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1226799. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.