Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, February 3 to 5, 2025

Name: Winter Storm and Heavy Snow in Montana, February 3 to 5, 2025
Start: 2025-02-03T11:00
End: 2025-02-05T12:00
Location: Montana

February 3 to 5, 2025 · NWS MSO · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

A winter storm developed as moisture from the southwest overran an arctic cold front pushing in from the northeast, resulting in significant impacts across western Montana.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 8 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 winter storm developed as moisture from the southwest overran an arctic cold front pushing in from the northeast, resulting in significant impacts across western Montana.

What forecasters said that day

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 3, 3:20 AM MST, 7 hours 40 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 3, 3:20 AM MST, 7 hours 40 minutes before

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1">
  <title>Service Notice</title>
  <link rel="stylesheet" href="index.css">
</head>
<body>
  <main class="wrap">
    <section class="card" role="status" aria-live="polite">
      <div class="status" id="status">Temporary Notice</div>
      <h1 id="headline">This service is currently unavailable.</h1>
      <p id="message1">
        The site you requested is temporarily down for maintenance or an unexpected outage.
      </p>
      <p id="message2">
        Please try again in a few minutes.
      </p>
      <p class="small" id="detail">
        If you are an administrator, restore upstream service and remove the redirect/fallback rule when normal operations resume.
      </p>
    </section>
  </main>
  <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 winter storm, 2 heavy snow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Snow, Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains

When: February 3, 11:00 AM MST to February 5, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Bitterroot / Sapphire Mountains forecast zone
Reported by: SNOTEL
Coordinates: 46.508, -113.828 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lolo Pass SNOTEL reported 1.30 inches of snow-water equivalent and 20 inches of new snow. Lost Trail Pass reported a 48-hour total of 24 inches. The Saddle Mountain SNOTEL reported 0.90 inches of snow-water equivalent. Chains were required over Lolo Pass during the early morning hours of February 4.

Winter Storm, Butte / Blackfoot Region

When: February 3, 11:00 AM MST to February 5, 12:00 PM MST
Where: Butte / Blackfoot Region forecast zone
Reported by: Public
Coordinates: 46.306, -113.025 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Public reports included wind gusts up to 38 mph with blowing snow near Garrison Junction, a two-hour delay for Drummond Public Schools, eight inches of snowfall near Ovando, and solid ice beneath the snow on Montana Highway 1.

Heavy Snow, Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys

When: February 3, 4:00 PM MST to February 5, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Missoula / Bitterroot Valleys forecast zone
Reported by: Law Enforcement
Coordinates: 46.560, -114.023 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Ravalli County Sheriff's Office requested emergency travel only in the Bitterroot Valley due to blowing snow. Multiple schools were closed on February 5 including Corvallis, Hamilton, Missoula, Darby, and Stevensville. Public snow measurements included 14 inches in Hamilton, 16 inches in South Grantsdale, 20 inches north of Florence, 12 inches in Darby, and nearly 2 feet on the west side of Hamilton up Dutch Hill. A local resident remarked that even though she had great tires and drove an SUV, the intersections in the Bitterroot Valley were very slick.

Winter Storm, Potomac / Seeley Lake Region

When: February 3, 5:00 PM MST to February 5, 10:00 AM MST
Where: Potomac / Seeley Lake Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 46.986, -113.597 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation reported severe driving conditions on State Highway 83 and State Highway 200 on February 4. Clinton Schools had a delayed opening. Measured snowfall in Seeley Lake was 8.2 inches, and about a foot was reported in Potomac. Winds gusted to 35 mph.

Winter Storm, Lower Clark Fork Region

When: February 3, 8:00 PM MST to February 5, 9:00 AM MST
Where: Lower Clark Fork Region forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.286, -114.685 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation reported multiple incidents along Interstate 90 west of Superior. Ten to fourteen inches of snow were reported, including: 8-10 Plains, 12 St. Regis, 14 in Ninemile, 9 Trout Creek, and 8 at Lookout Pass. School closures on February 5 included Thompson Falls, Trout Creek, Noxon, and Superior. Easterly winds gusting to about 30 mph, combined with cold temperatures in the lower teens, resulted in wind chills of approximately -7 to 0 degrees. Webcams depicted blowing and drifting snow.

Winter Storm, Flathead/Mission Valleys

When: February 3, 9:00 PM MST to February 5, 11:00 AM MST
Where: Flathead/Mission Valleys forecast zone
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.872, -114.424 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) and Flathead County Roads reported stranded vehicles and road closures. There were multiple school closures and delays. One public report mentioned whiteout conditions on US-93, north of St. Ignatius, while another described blowing and drifting snow on Highway 28 near Lonepine, along with 8 inches of snow. Snowfall reports varied: one from Columbia Falls noted 6.5 inches with deep snowdrifts along Highway 2; another indicated 19 inches southeast of St. Ignatius; and Polson reported 12 inches. MDT also reported accidents along Highway 93 west of Flathead Lake.

Winter Storm, Kootenai/Cabinet Region

When: February 4, 9:00 PM MST to February 5, 8:00 AM MST
Where: Kootenai/Cabinet Region forecast zone
Reported by: Trained Spotter
Coordinates: 48.171, -114.863 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Nine inches of snow fell near Happy's Inn, accompanied by easterly winds that caused significant drifting from Marion to Kalispell. Schools in Olney and Marion were closed on the 5th.

Winter Storm, West Glacier Region

When: February 4, 11:00 PM MST to February 5, 8:00 AM MST
Where: West Glacier Region forecast zone
Reported by: Department of Highways
Coordinates: 47.971, -114.069 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

The Montana Department of Transportation reported 8 to 9 inches of new snow, along with strong easterly winds that made it difficult to keep Highway 2 open. Very cold temperatures accompanied the snow and wind, resulting in wind chills of -30 to -40 degrees Fahrenheit. The Swan Valley received a foot of snow during the event.

What these are

Heavy Snow: Snowfall reaching the local warning threshold without the other hazards of a winter storm.
Winter Storm: A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Montana in 2025 Every state in 2025 This day in weather history Warnings in Montana, February 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 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1237438, 1237448, 1237433, 1237440, 1237432, 1237431, 1237429, 1237430.