Heavy Snow — Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains, Montana

2022-10-22 to 2022-10-23 · Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains, Montana

Event narrative

Spotter reports 8.2 inches storm total snow. Additionally, a snotel in the zone, Rocker Peak, reported 14 inches of new snow.

Wider weather episode

An unusually deep longwave trough overspread the region from the 22nd through the 23rd, bringing ample Pacific moisture for an impactful winter storm. Initially, the thought was that mountain snow and lower elevation rain would occur, but as the event got closer, it became evident that snow at lower elevation would occur, which prompted the expansion of Winter Storm Warnings to lower elevations.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1059555. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.