Montana Environment & Hazard Risk

Multiple social media reports indicated that roads became very slick during the evening of the 14th. One individual noted that while at the ER, three or four separate people were being treated for serious injuries from vehicle accidents that evening. Another person stated, 'Highway 2 between Evergreen and Columbia Falls is pure ice.' Light snow, combined with northerly winds gusting up to 24 mph at times between the GPI Airport and Columbia Falls, contributed to deteriorating conditions. Snowfall totals included 4 to 5 inches in the Kalispell area and Mission Valley, 9.5 inches at Creston, and 6 inches near Bigfork.

On the morning of February 15, 2026, a head-on collision involving two SUVs occurred on Highway 200 just west of Bear Creek. The accident resulted in three injuries requiring hospitalization and a two-hour closure of the highway. Precipitation totals in the vicinity of the accident ranged from 0.10 to 0.22 inches.

Notable infrastructure losses included the Farm-to-Market Road state bridge over Libby Creek, the Granite Creek county bridge, Ramsey Creek Bridge at milepost 8.9, Old Town/Libby Creek Bridge 8.1 miles up Libby Creek Road(NFS Road Number 231), West Fisher Road bridge over Lake Creek at about the 5.5 milepost, the Lower Granite Creek Bridge at milepost 2.5 on National Forest Service(NFS) Road 4791, Whoopie Creek Bridge(NFS Road 384) near Spar Lake in the Troy District, and Keeler Creek took out the Lake Creek Road county bridge(NFS Road 473) and the county levee in Troy. Additional washouts occurred on Libby Creek Road (NFS Road 231) at mileposts 0.9 and and about 25.0 and along NFS Road 384 where it was washed out due to a landslide past the Whoopie Creek Bridge. The Hiatt Creek Bridge(NFS Road 384) near Spar Lake sustained damage. While the Ross Creek bridge survived the flood, the creek bed beneath it rose significantly. Floodwaters deposited so much rock and gravel that the space under the bridge was reduced from 8 feet to 6 inches, leaving no room for water to pass. The West Fisher Road lost about 600 feet of road at milepost 25.5, and the Poorman Creek culvert washout on...

Along Interstate 90 between Drummond and Garrison Junction, freezing rain contributed to at least 6 accidents. At 1125MST a small car lost control, slid into the eastbound lane and crashed into a tractor trailer. All three people in the car were declared dead(indirect) on the scene. The road conditions were described as wet and icy.

Severe driving conditions were reported by Montana Department of Transportation due to slick roads on the morning of February 16. Very slick conditions were reported again during the next two nights with fresh snow falling. An accident during the early morning hours of February 18 occurred near Frenchtown on the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, resulting in three fatalities.

Freezing fog led to ice formation on area roadways. Icy roads were likely a contributing factor to a three vehicle collision on Highway 93 near Evaro. The crash resulted in five injuries and two fatalities.