Weather Alert in Montana
Avalanche Warning issued February 23 at 6:44PM MST by NWS Missoula MT
AREAS AFFECTED: Kootenai/Cabinet Region
DESCRIPTION: AVWMSO The following message is transmitted at the request of Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center Sandpoint ID. ...AVALANCHE WARNING ISSUED BY THE IDAHO PANHANDLE AVALANCHE CENTER... 16:00 PST Mon Feb 23 2026 The Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center in Sandpoint has issued a BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING for the following areas: NWS Missoula MT - MTZ001 (MTZ001) NWS Spokane WA - ID 017 (Bonner County)...ID 021 (Boundary County)...ID 079 (Shoshone County) * WHAT...An Avalanche Warning is in effect from Monday 4 PM to Tuesday 4 PM. Very dangerous avalanche conditions have developed from heavy snowfall and strong winds, and will last through Tuesday. You can very easily trigger avalanches large enough to bury or kill you, and some will release spontaneously. Avoid travel in avalanche terrain during this period. * WHERE...The Selkirk Mountains, West and East Cabinet Mountains, Purcell Mountains, and the Bitterroot Mountains - Silver Valley above 4,000 feet. * WHEN...In effect from Mon 16:00 PST to Tue 16:00 PST. * IMPACTS...Dense snowfall and widespread drifting has formed dangerous slabs of snow over multiple fragile weak snow layers. The new snow is adding enough stress to the snowpack to cause a widespread cycle of avalanches large enough to bury, injure, or kill a person. Some of these avalanches could propagate widely across terrain features like ridges, and run long distances into mature forests, valley floors, or flat terrain. It will be very easy for backcountry travelers to trigger them. * PRECAUTIONARY / PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...Travel in and around avalanche terrain is not recommended during this period. Consult http://www.idahopanhandleavalanche.org/ or www.avalanche.org for more detailed information. Similar avalanche danger may exist at locations outside the coverage area of this or any avalanche center.
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Weather Topic: What is Precipitation?
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Precipitation can refer to many different forms of water that
may fall from clouds. Precipitation occurs after a cloud has become saturated to
the point where its water particles are more dense than the air below the cloud.
In most cases, precipitation will reach the ground, but it is not uncommon for
precipitation to evaporate before it reaches the earth's surface.
When precipitation evaporates before it contacts the ground it is called Virga.
Graupel, hail, sleet, rain, drizzle, and snow are forms of precipitation, but fog
and mist are not considered precipitation because the water vapor which
constitutes them isn't dense enough to fall to the ground.
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Weather Topic: What are Shelf Clouds?
Home - Education - Cloud Types - Shelf Clouds
Next Topic: Sleet
A shelf cloud is similar to a wall cloud, but forms at the front
of a storm cloud, instead of at the rear, where wall clouds form.
A shelf cloud is caused by a series of events set into motion by the advancing
storm; first, cool air settles along the ground where precipitation has just fallen.
As the cool air is brought in, the warmer air is displaced, and rises above it,
because it is less dense. When the warmer air reaches the bottom of the storm cloud,
it begins to cool again, and the resulting condensation is a visible shelf cloud.
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