Snow Squall Warning Issued for Lake and Sanders Counties in Northwestern Montana
This alert is no longer in effect.
NOAA issued it on March 31, 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 Lake and Sanders Counties, bringing whiteout conditions and near-zero visibility to northwestern Montana through 4:45 PM MDT.
Read this weather record in 30 seconds
- Record type
- Snow Squall Warning
- Affected area
- Northwestern Montana
- Issued
- March 31, 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 Northwestern Montana.
Alert Details
The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a Snow Squall Warning for southwestern Lake County and southeastern Sanders County in northwestern Montana. This alert was issued at 3:56 PM MDT following the observation of a dangerous snow squall by the public.
Affected Areas
The warning covers specific geographic regions in northwestern Montana, including:
- Southwestern Lake County
- Southeastern Sanders County
Impacted locations include Polson, Ravalli, Ronan, St. Ignatius, Pablo, Turtle Lake, Arlee, Old Agency, Kerr, Dixon, Allentown, Moiese, Round Butte, Kicking Horse, Charlo, and Fort Connah.
Travelers on the following highways should expect hazardous conditions:
- Highway 93 N: Between mile markers 15 and 60.
- Highway 200 W: Between mile markers 108 and 115.
Expected Conditions
At 3:55 PM MDT, the squall was located along a line extending from 16 miles east of Ronan to 8 miles north of Old Agency, moving southeast at 25 mph.
Hazards include:
- Whiteout conditions with near-zero visibility.
- Intense bursts of heavy snow.
- Gusty winds up to 20 mph leading to blowing snow.
- Rapidly deteriorating travel conditions, which may become dangerous within minutes.
What You Should Do
Residents and motorists are advised to consider avoiding or delaying travel until the snow squall passes. If you must travel, use extra caution and allow for significant extra travel time. Rapid changes in visibility and slick road conditions are likely to lead to accidents.
If you are currently traveling on a highway, find the nearest exit or rest area and park safely away from traffic. Wait for the squall to pass before attempting to resume your journey.
Timeline
The Snow Squall Warning is effective immediately and is set to expire at 4:45 PM MDT on March 14, 2026.
Original source: NOAA Official Notice ↗
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