The ‘surprise’ storm that was no surprise
By
John Roach, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 1, 2019 7:50 PM EDT
The storm unloaded up to 3-4 feet of snow in spots.
The snowstorm that hit the northern Rockies over the weekend was many things. Historic. Unusual. Early in the season.
What it wasn’t, however, was “surprising” to AccuWeather audiences and media partners. While national and local outlets relied on this term to describe the unprecedented storm, users of the popular AccuWeather app and AccuWeather.com site were warned four or more days out before the snow started falling Saturday in the northern Rockies and northwestern Montana.
“This is the type of setup where it will snow not only in the mountains but also down to the valley floors and away from the foothills,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said the Tuesday before the storm when he accurately forecast the snowfall and the impact it would have. “There will be heavy accumulation on the roads over the passes with this storm.”
The storm unloaded up to 3-4 feet of snow in spots, caused blizzard conditions and set several new daily snowfall records across Montana. The highest snowfall amount was 52 inches in Babb, Montana, while Browning was blanketed with 48 inches.
“Days ahead of the upcoming setup for a heavy snowstorm, AccuWeather began warning of the potential both nationally and in local forecasts,” said Marshall Moss, AccuWeather vice president, Forecasting and Graphic Operations. “Our impact-driven details and actionable forecasts gave people plenty of advanced notice of the dangerous, potentially life-threatening weather event to come.”
Those following along on the AccuWeather app saw it coming days in advance. For those who don't have the AccuWeather app installed on an iOS and Android device, click here to download it. It's completely free and delivers hyperlocal weather forecasts and warnings anywhere a user is in the world at a given time.
“Our AccuWeather team uses all of our extensive historical database, present data, artificial intelligence, analogs, the world’s largest collection of forecasting models and, importantly, more than 100 of the world’s best meteorologists to deliver the most reliable forecasts,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
AccuWeather’s “consensus forecasting” method has proven beneficial, whereby people and computer models make accurate predictions and then meteorologists interpret and communicate the impact.
Recent AccuWeather forecasts warning of the Montana snowstorm, the extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Imelda, and Lorenzo’s damaging winds and heavy rain expected to hit the British Isles and northern Europe at the end of this week demonstrate AccuWeather’s superior accuracy.
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay aware of the latest forecast and winter storm warnings and advisories for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo
News / Weather News
The ‘surprise’ storm that was no surprise
By John Roach, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Oct 1, 2019 7:50 PM EDT
The storm unloaded up to 3-4 feet of snow in spots.
The snowstorm that hit the northern Rockies over the weekend was many things. Historic. Unusual. Early in the season.
What it wasn’t, however, was “surprising” to AccuWeather audiences and media partners. While national and local outlets relied on this term to describe the unprecedented storm, users of the popular AccuWeather app and AccuWeather.com site were warned four or more days out before the snow started falling Saturday in the northern Rockies and northwestern Montana.
“This is the type of setup where it will snow not only in the mountains but also down to the valley floors and away from the foothills,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson said the Tuesday before the storm when he accurately forecast the snowfall and the impact it would have. “There will be heavy accumulation on the roads over the passes with this storm.”
The storm unloaded up to 3-4 feet of snow in spots, caused blizzard conditions and set several new daily snowfall records across Montana. The highest snowfall amount was 52 inches in Babb, Montana, while Browning was blanketed with 48 inches.
“Days ahead of the upcoming setup for a heavy snowstorm, AccuWeather began warning of the potential both nationally and in local forecasts,” said Marshall Moss, AccuWeather vice president, Forecasting and Graphic Operations. “Our impact-driven details and actionable forecasts gave people plenty of advanced notice of the dangerous, potentially life-threatening weather event to come.”
Those following along on the AccuWeather app saw it coming days in advance. For those who don't have the AccuWeather app installed on an iOS and Android device, click here to download it. It's completely free and delivers hyperlocal weather forecasts and warnings anywhere a user is in the world at a given time.
“Our AccuWeather team uses all of our extensive historical database, present data, artificial intelligence, analogs, the world’s largest collection of forecasting models and, importantly, more than 100 of the world’s best meteorologists to deliver the most reliable forecasts,” said AccuWeather Founder and CEO Dr. Joel N. Myers.
AccuWeather’s “consensus forecasting” method has proven beneficial, whereby people and computer models make accurate predictions and then meteorologists interpret and communicate the impact.
Recent AccuWeather forecasts warning of the Montana snowstorm, the extensive flooding caused by Hurricane Imelda, and Lorenzo’s damaging winds and heavy rain expected to hit the British Isles and northern Europe at the end of this week demonstrate AccuWeather’s superior accuracy.
Related:
Download the free AccuWeather app to stay aware of the latest forecast and winter storm warnings and advisories for your area. Keep checking back for updates on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo