Two Montana Towns Hold Records for Earliest Measurable Snowfall

As we brace for our first good dump of snow, we wonder why it has taken so long to arrive. In years past, Montana is typically one of the first in the country to receive enough snow to warrant digging out a snow shovel. But, here we are in November still waiting.

When was the earliest "measurable snowfall in the country?

We know that the weather in Montana can change at any minute. At times it can feel like you get run through all four seasons in just a matter of minutes. But imagine you are mowing your yard on a late summer afternoon and you suddenly witness the sky open up and dump nearly a foot of snow.

That is what happened in Great Falls, MT in the summer of 1992.

According to Wunderground

One of the most extreme examples of August snow happened in 1992 when a bizarre winter storm the National Weather Service called "an unprecedented weather event" blanketed parts of Montana.

Great Falls picked up 8.3 inches of snow from August 22-23, the first and only time measurable snow that was recorded during the month in this northern Montana city since 1886.

Most of the snow accumulated on grassy areas. The weight of this wet snow brought down some tree limbs around the city.

 

Great Falls is not the only Montana town that has set a record for the earliest snowfall. While Great Falls claims the spot for August. Billings had a decent amount of snowfall to blanket the town shortly after Labor Day.

According to weather.com

September is when parts of the West and northern tier have seen their earliest accumulating snow. Many locations from the Rockies to the northern Plains, northern Great Lakes, and northern New England have received their earliest measurable snow in the month.

Billings current record for the earliest snow happened on September 7th, 1962. On that day 2.2 inches of fluffy white snow fell on the largest city in the state.