Winter Storm in Eastern Carbon, Montana

Snowfall of 12 to 18 inches was common across the area.

The seasons first arctic outbreak and combined winter storm moved into the Billings Forecast Area during the first week of December. Mild temperatures ended the month of November and continued through the morning of the 2nd. A strong disturbance moved across the area during the afternoon of the 2nd. This disturbance combined with temperatures around 50 degrees for most of the day, resulted in a period of light to moderate rain for a few hours. An arctic front moved into the area by late in the afternoon turning the rain to snow. Temperatures quickly dropped into the teens and single digits during the overnight hours. The initial wet snow that fell onto already wet pavement from the rain quickly froze which resulted in very icy road conditions. The snow, which was heavy at times, continued through the 3rd before ending on the 4th of December. However, bitterly cold temperatures continued through the 8th with daytime highs only in the single digits above and below zero with overnight lows in the teens below to 30s below zero.