Thursday, April 30, 2009

Greatest Fall at Great Falls
All-Time Snowfall Record Set

The snowstorm in Montana this week has set an all-time record for a single storm at Great Falls; records there extend back to 1886. The National Weather Service reports that the heaviest snow fell over the northern portions of the Rocky Mountain front on the Blackfeet Indian reservation. Storm totals as high as 60" were reported. Some locations have already reported their snowiest season on record.

Image (click to enlarge): April 27-30 snowfall totals from National Weather Service, Great Falls, Montana
RECORD EVENT REPORT 
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT

415 AM MDT THU APR 30 2009
MTZ008>015-044>055-302400-

...RECORD HIGH TWO AND THREE DAY STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AT GREAT FALLS
MONTANA...

STORM TOTAL SNOWFALL AT THE GREAT FALLS AIRPORT FOR THE THREE DAY
PERIOD OF APRIL 27...28...29 MEASURED 25.4 INCHES. THIS IS AN ALL
TIME THREE DAY SNOWFALL RECORD WHICH SURPASSES THE PREVIOUS RECORD
OF 18.1 INCHES SET NOVEMBER 26...27...28 IN 2005.

SNOWFALL AT THE GREAT FALLS AIRPORT FOR THE TWO DAY PERIOD OF APRIL
28...29 MEASURED 24.2 INCHES. THIS IS ALSO AN ALL TIME SNOWFALL
RECORD WHICH SURPASSES THE PREVIOUS RECORD OF 17.3 INCHES SET APRIL
19...20 IN 1973.

THE ALL TIME ONE DAY SNOWFALL RECORD AT THE GREAT FALLS AIRPORT IS
16.5 INCHES SET ON APRIL 20 IN 1973. THE 16.1 INCHES RECORDED
YESTERDAY...APRIL 29TH...IS THE SECOND HIGHEST ONE DAY SNOWFALL
TOTAL RECORDED SINCE CLIMATIC RECORDS BEGAN AT GREAT FALLS IN 1886.


..RECORD HIGH PRECIPITATION FOR APR 29 IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET

GREAT FALLS AIRPORT 0.87 0.43 1913


..RECORD HIGH SNOWFALL FOR APR 29 IN NORTH CENTRAL MONTANA

LOCATION NEW RECORD OLD RECORD YEAR SET

GREAT FALLS AIRPORT 16.1 5.4 1913

PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE GREAT FALLS MT

1110 AM MDT THU APR 30 2009

..RECAP OF THE SNOWSTORM THIS WEEK

THE INFORMATION LISTED IS AS OF 10 AM MDT APRIL 30.

THE STORM THAT BROUGHT RECORD AMOUNTS OF SNOW TO CENTRAL AND NORTH
CENTRAL MONTANA THIS WEEK IS NOW WINDING DOWN. THE HEAVY
SNOWFALL...CAUSED ROADS AND AIRPORTS TO CLOSE...PRODUCED POWER
OUTAGES...AND FORCED THE CLOSURE OF MANY AREA SCHOOLS.

IT BEGAN WITH SNOW FALLING ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT MONDAY
MORNING /APRIL 27/ AND CONTINUED WITH PERIODS OF HEAVY SNOW ON
TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY BEFORE DECREASING TO LIGHT SNOW ON THURSDAY
MORNING /APRIL 30/. STRONG WINDS PUSHED THE SNOW INTO DRIFTS AS HIGH
AS 10 TO 12 FEET OVER PORTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN FRONT.

THE HEAVIEST SNOW FELL OVER NORTHERN PORTIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN
FRONT ON THE BLACKFEET INDIAN RESERVATION. OVER TWO FEET OF SNOW
FELL AS FAR EAST AS THE GREAT FALLS AREA...WITH MUCH LIGHTER AMOUNTS
IN THE HAVRE AND LEWISTOWN AREAS. MOST OF BLAINE COUNTY AND EASTERN
PORTIONS OF FERGUS COUNTY PRIMARILY MEASURED RAINFALL. EVEN THE
RAINFALL WAS HEAVY WITH GRASS RANGE REPORTING OVER 2.3 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION WITH ONLY 3 INCHES OF SNOW. CHINOOK REPORTED JUST
UNDER ONE INCH OF RAIN /0.90/.

FOLLOWING IS A TABLE WITH SOME OF THE SNOWFALL AMOUNTS REPORTED FROM
MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING...

SNOW...WATER EQUIV ...BOTH VALUES IN INCHES...
ST MARY........ 60
BABB VICINITY.. 48
BADGER PASS.... 43 2.80
DUPUYER CREEK.. 34 3.00
MT LOCKHART.... 34 2.00
WALDRON........ 34 2.00
ROGERS PASS.... 26.7 1.30
PIKE CREEK..... 26 1.50
GREAT FALLS.... 25.4 1.65
BROWNING....... 24
CUT BANK 10W... 24
PENDROY........ 20
PICKFOOT CREEK. 20
CHOTEAU........ 18.7
BENCHLAND...... 18
CARTER 25N..... 18
CHOTEAU 8NE.... 16
HOBSON......... 16
CRYSTAL LAKE... 16 1.10
HELENA 3S...... 14
DAISY PEAK..... 14 1.50
GOLD BUTTE..... 13 0.58
MONTANA CITY... 13
MILLEGAN....... 13 0.56
ROCKY BOY...... 13 1.50
CHOTEAU........ 12.5
MONARCH........ 12
CASCADE 5SSE... 12
STANFORD....... 12 1.13
VALIER......... 11.7 1.89
CONRAD......... 11
MANY GLACIER... 11 0.50
NEIHART........ 10.1 0.47
CASCADE 20SSE.. 8
BOZEMAN MSU.... 6
WHITE SULPHUR.. 6 0.53
FORT BENTON.... 4.5 1.75
RUDYARD 19S.... 4 0.75
GRASS RANGE.... 3 2.32
BOULDER........ 2
FT ASSINNIBOINE 1.3 1.05
VALENTINE...... 0.2 1.70
CHINOOK........ 0 0.90

THE RECENT SNOWS HAVE ADDED TO THE LARGE AMOUNTS OF SNOW RECORDED
OVER THE PAST WINTER ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. SOME LOCATIONS HAVE
RECORDED THEIR SNOWIEST SEASON OF RECORD...WITH THE SNOW SEASON NOT
YET FINISHED. FOLLOWING IS A TABLE WITH SNOWFALL TOTALS FOR THE
SEASON AND OTHER RECORD INFORMATION...

2008-09 SNOWFALL
CHINOOK........... 103.1 INCHES SNOWEST OF RECORD...OLD RECORD 63
INCHES IN 1995-96.
CHOTEAU........... 65.6 3RD SNOWIEST...RECORD IS 90 INCHES
IN 1966-67.
FT ASSINNIBOINE... 78.2 THE SNOWIEST OF RECORD AND THE SNOWIEST
SINCE 1989-90...50.1 INCHES.
GOLD BUTTE........ 91.4 RECORD IS 127 INCHES IN 2006-07.
GRASS RANGE....... 88.6 4TH SNOWIEST...RECORD IS 118 INCHES
IN 1966-67.
GREAT FALLS....... 108.6 2ND SNOWIEST OF RECORD...THE RECORD
IS 120.2 INCHES IN 1988-89. THIS
IS THE 4TH SEASON IN WHICH THE
SEASONAL SNOWFALL HAS EXCEEDED 100
INCHES. THE AVERAGE IS 62
INCHES.
MILLEGAN.......... 187.3 SNOWIEST...OLD RECORD IS 186
INCHES IN 2003-04.
STANFORD.......... 77.5

FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL...SOME SNOW RECORDS HAVE ALSO FALLEN. AT
BOZEMAN MSU...49.4 INCHES OF SNOW HAVE FALLEN. THIS EXCEEDS THE
RECORD OF 37 INCHES IN APRIL 1955. THIS IS ALSO THE MOST MEASURED IN
ANY MONTH AT BOZEMAN MSU. THE OLD RECORD WAS 44.3 INCHES IN NOVEMBER
1941. THIS IS ALSO THE WETTEST APRIL OF RECORD...4.40 INCHES OF
PRECIPITATION HAS FALLEN. THE OLD RECORD WAS 3.59 INCHES IN 1912 AND
2003.

AT CUT BANK...THE 11 INCHES OF SNOW ON THE GROUND ON APRIL 30 IS THE
GREATEST RECORDED ON ANY DAY IN APRIL. THE OLD RECORD WAS 10 INCHES
ON APRIL 30 1967.

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