Snow Squall Warning Issued for Lake and Missoula Counties in Montana
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on April 6, 2026, 4 months ago. Warnings of this kind stay in effect for hours to a few days, so this page is a historical record of what was issued, not a current warning. For conditions where you are right now, check weather.gov (US), weather.gc.ca (Canada), the Met Office (UK), or the Bureau of Meteorology (Australia).
Areazine synthesizes this NWS weather alert directly from NOAA's official public data feed. See our methodology for full source attribution and refresh cadence.
A dangerous snow squall is moving through west central Montana, bringing whiteout conditions and 35 mph wind gusts to Lake and Missoula counties through 4:30 PM MST.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Snow Squall Warning
- Affected area
- West Central Montana
- Issued
- April 6, 2026
- Issuing authority
- NWS Missoula
Winter notices differ by expected impact and timing. The original notice carries the forecast window and any travel guidance for the named area.
Record status: historical. It was issued 4 months ago; use the issuing agency's live warning service for current conditions in West Central Montana.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a Snow Squall Warning for portions of northwestern and west central Montana. This alert was triggered by a dangerous snow squall observed by a trained spotter.
Affected Areas
The warning impacts the following regions:
- South central Lake County in northwestern Montana
- Central Missoula County in west central Montana
Specific locations in the path include Ravalli, Arlee, and Evaro. Impacted roadways include Highway 93 N between mile markers 6 and 27, and Highway 200 W near mile marker 115.
What You Should Do
Officials advise residents to consider avoiding or delaying travel until the snow squall passes your location. If you must travel, use extra caution and allow for significant extra time. Rapid changes in visibility and slick road conditions may lead to accidents.
Expected Conditions
At 3:31 PM MST, the squall was located 7 miles west of Arlee (approximately 22 miles northwest of Missoula), moving east at 10 mph. Hazards include:
- Whiteout conditions with near zero visibility.
- Intense bursts of heavy snow.
- Gusty winds up to 35 mph leading to blowing snow.
Travel will become difficult and potentially dangerous within minutes of the squall's arrival.
Timeline
The warning is effective from 3:32 PM MST on February 18 and is currently set to expire at 4:30 PM MST on February 18, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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