Snow showers with varying intensity hit during the morning and early afternoon hours.
Every event with a place to put it; 1 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.
Snow showers with varying intensity hit during the morning and early afternoon hours.
The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.
NWS Missoula, MT wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 21, 2:33 AM PST, 2 hours 27 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
333 AM MST Mon Feb 21 2022
.DISCUSSION...The arctic front has made its way across all of
western Montana and will move across central Idaho the rest of the
morning. A well organized short wave across Northwest Montana will
gradually move southward through the morning hours. The associated
moist air with this system interacting with the arctic front is
producing widespread snows across Central Idaho, West central and
and Southwest Montana. Strong gusty northeasterly wind combined
with several inches of snow will result in considerable blowing
snow and low visibilities. This will all make for a difficult
morning commute.
While snow has tapered off in the Flathead Valley and along the
continental divide in the Glacier NP region, strong gusty
northeast winds will continue bring blowing snow and low
visibilities through the morning hours.
Persistent snow will diminish around noon across western Montana
leaving behind snow showers for the remainder of the day.
Accumulating snows will continue through the entire afternoon
across central, then weather disturbance will finally move south
of the Northern Rockies.
Right on its heels a secondary push of very cold arctic air from
Alberta Canada will move across the continental divide into
western Montana and central Idaho. This deep arctic air will
significantly tighten temperature/pressure gradients resulting in
continued strong gusty northeast winds across the entire Northern
Rockies, especially the Flathead Valley. Areas along the divide
into Bad Rock Canyon and Kalispell can expect wind gusts over
40 mph late this afternoon and evening.
Gusty northeast winds will persist through Wednesday morning.
Extremely cold air with these winds will result in a lengthy
period of very low wind chills of 15 to 30 degrees below zero.
Even more dangerous wind chill readings of 30 to 40 degrees below
zero are likely along the continental divide which includes the
Glacier NP region, the Seeley/Swan valley, and southwest Montana
this evening through Wednesday morning.
This is the coldest polar dip of the year with Wednesday morning
being the coldest. Temperatures will be around 10 to 15 below
zero in western Montana. Even colder low temps of 15 to 25 degrees
below zero will occur along the divide into the Seeley/Swan valley
and southwest Montana.
Single digit to below zero low temperatures will occur through
Saturday morning. Temperatures won't return back to near normal
until next week.
Wind Chill readings Tonight into Tuesday morning
Missoula -22 to -28
Kalispell -25 to -30
Butte -30 to -35
West -34 to -39
Seeley Lake -35 to -40
Another weather disturbance will move through the region from
Canada Thursday and Friday bringing another round of
accumulating snows.
&&
.AVIATION...A low pressure system is making its way across
western Montana this morning. The warm moist air overrunning cold
arctic air that has established itself will continue to produce
snow impacting KMSO, KBTM through 21/1800z. Gusty northeasterly
winds will result in blowing snow. Expect low ceilings,
visibilites and mountain obscurations.
While snow has diminished at KGPI, strong northeast winds gusting
to 40 mph will continue the next 24 hours. Blowing snow from these
winds will reduce visibilites.
KSMN can expect snow through 21/2300z resulting in low ceilings,
visibilities and mountain obscurations.
&&
.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT... Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST this morning
Butte/Blackfoot Region.
Wind Chill Warning from 11 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Tuesday
Butte/Blackfoot Region...Potomac/Seeley Lake Region...West
Glacier Region.
Wind Chill Advisory from 11 AM this morning to 11 PM MST this
evening Butte/Blackfoot Region...Potomac/Seeley Lake
Region...West Glacier Region.
Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST this morning
Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains.
Wind Chill Advisory from 8 PM this evening to 11 AM MST Tuesday
Bitterroot/Sapphire Mountains...Lower Clark Fork Region...
Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.
Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST this morning
Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.
Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST this morning Lower Clark
Fork Region.
Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST this morning
Flathead/Mission Valleys.
Wind Chill Advisory from 5 PM this afternoon to 11 AM MST
Tuesday Flathead/Mission Valleys...Kootenai/Cabinet Region.
Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST this morning West Glacier
Region.
Winter Weather Advisory until 11 AM MST this morning
Kootenai/Cabinet Region.
Winter Storm Warning until 11 AM MST this morning Potomac/Seeley
Lake Region.
ID...Wind Chill Advisory from 8 PM MST /7 PM PST/ this evening to 11
AM MST /10 AM PST/ Tuesday Eastern Lemhi County...Northern
Clearwater Mountains...Southern Clearwater Mountains...
Western Lemhi County.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning Lower Hells
Canyon/Salmon River Region...Orofino/Grangeville Region.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning Southern
Clearwater Mountains.
Winter Weather Advisory until 10 AM PST this morning Northern
Clearwater Mountains.
&&The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
1 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.
Snowfall rates up to 1 inch per hour fell during the morning hours, but limited travel impacts were noted. Pierce received 7.4 inches of snow.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Idaho in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Idaho, February 2022
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1000067.