Winter Storm — Bighorn Canyon, Montana

2023-10-25 to 2023-10-26 · Bighorn Canyon, Montana

Event narrative

Freezing rain, followed by 5 inches of snow, resulted in very icy road conditions.

Wider weather episode

An early Fall Winter Storm impacted much of the Billings Forecast Area. The coldest air of the season invaded southern and southeastern Montana and northern Wyoming. At the same time, a strong upper low moved off the Pacific coast and across Idaho. This upper low brought a prolonged period of winter precipitation. Warm air aloft with freezing temperatures at the surface resulted in several hours of freezing drizzle before changing to snow. Many roads saw light ice accumulations creating dangerously slick conditions. The precipitation then transitioned to snow creating snow packed roads over icy conditions.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1142560. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.