Winter Weather in Montana, April 2 to 3, 2026

At Lolo Pass, snow started around 0400MST on April 2 and lasted through 0200MST on April 3, accumulating approximately seven inches. Air temperatures dropped to twenty-eight degrees, with peak snowfall intensities of two inches in three hours occurring midday on April 2. At Lost Trail Pass, rain changed to snow around 0330MST, with air and road temperatures dropping into the mid-twenties, leading to a possible road freeze-up. Winds gusted to twenty-nine miles per hour throughout the day, and snow transitioned back to light rain around 0830MST on April 3. Moose Creek observed snowfall starting around 0700MST on April 2, with snowfall rates averaging one inch per hour from 0800 MST to 1100 MST, accumulating a total of six inches before ending at 0200MST on April 3.

Precipitation began as a frontal passage that moved through around 0700MST on April 2, bringing snowfall rates of nearly two inches per hour to the Discovery Ski Area. Snow continued into April 3, resulting in storm total accumulations of ten inches at Discovery and five and a half inches northwest of Anaconda. Roadway conditions deteriorated, leading to significant travel impacts on April 3. At 0239MST, chains were required for towing units on Interstate 90 between mile markers 228 and 241. A crash resulted in a right lane closure on US Highway 12 westbound at mile marker 29.5 at 0305 MST (indirect). Additionally, spun-out semi-trucks forced a right lane closure on Interstate 90 eastbound at mile marker 232 around 0355MST (indirect). At Georgetown Lake, snowfall began around 0600MST on April 2, accompanied by wind gusts near twenty miles per hour and road temperatures dropping to thirty-two degrees, before tapering off by 0300MST on April 3. Snow eventually tapered off at Homestake Pass by 0830MST.