More snow, cold on the way

The Daily Inter Lake

Northwest Montana residents will be hunkering down through another wave of snow and cold.

The National Weather Service issued a winter storm through this evening, with a forecast for snowfall continuing through today with accumulations ranging from 5 to 10 inches in the Flathead Valley.

Bitterly cold weather is expected to continue with lows of 7 below zero today and northeast winds ranging from 15 to 25 mph.

Even colder weather, with lows of 8 to 15 below zero, were projected for Friday with lows of 15 to 22 below zero by Saturday. The forecast into early next week calls for continued lows well below zero.

Nighttime lows aren't expected to rise above zero until Tuesday.

But not everybody is hunkering down.

Management at Blacktail Ski Area west of Lakeside has been keeping a close watch on the weather and projected snowfall with an eye toward opening soon.

As of Wednesday, the Blacktail Web site was urging skiers to be ready for an opening day announcement.