Montana, 2025

Winter Weather in Montana, April 2 to 3, 2025

April 2 to 3, 2025 · NWS MSO · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

A strong trough dug out of British Columbia and pulled modified arctic air over the Divide. This brought periods of moderate to heavy snow to northwest Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

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  • Floods
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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
4

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS MSO wrote it up.

A strong trough dug out of British Columbia and pulled modified arctic air over the Divide. This brought periods of moderate to heavy snow to northwest Montana. Some locations received so much snow that slush accumulated on the roads and caused slick conditions during the day.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

4 winter weather. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Weather, West Glacier Region

When
April 2, 8:00 PM MST to April 3, 11:00 AM MST
Where
West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by
Mesonet
Coordinates
47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

At Marias Pass, 7 inches of snow fell, accompanied by northeast winds between 7 and 12 mph, with gusts to 25 mph. Temperatures fell to 4 below zero the following morning. Java East, located at the U.S. Highway 2 bend southeast of Essex, received 3.4 inches of snow. During the morning of the 3rd, Java East picked up an additional 2.6 inches of snow between 0500 and 0600MST. Up to 10 inches fell in the mountains of Glacier National Park.

Winter Weather, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When
April 3, 5:30 AM MST to 3:00 PM MST
Where
Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A weather spotter reported 2.1 inches of snowfall in 1.5 hours, ending at 0700MST. The Marion CoCoRaHS observer reported 3.0 inches of snow with 0.25 inches of snow-water equivalent.

Winter Weather, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When
April 3, 7:00 AM MST to 1:00 PM MST
Where
Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Reported by
Department of Highways
Coordinates
47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The combination of gusty northeast winds near 30 mph, air temperatures near freezing, and falling snow contributed to slick roads from the Flathead Valley to Flathead Lake. There were multiple reports of vehicle slide-offs along U.S. Highway 93 on the west side of Flathead Lake during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Snow fell in the Mission Valley, bringing low visibility and slushy accumulations.

Winter Weather, Butte / Blackfoot Region

When
April 3, 4:00 PM MST to 9:00 PM MST
Where
Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by
CoCoRaHS
Coordinates
46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A CoCoRaHS observer located west of Anaconda received 1.2 inches of snowfall. The mountains along and west of the Continental Divide, including Georgetown Lake, received 1 to 2 inches of snow.

What these are

Winter Weather
Snow, sleet or freezing rain below warning levels that still caused disruption, damage or casualties.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Montana in 2025Every state in 2025This day in weather historyWarnings in Montana, April 2025

Sources

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: 1243834, 1243829, 1243837, 1243838.