The winter that just won't end

Snow keeps piling up in Glacier National Park and in mountain ranges across Northwest Montana at a time when the snowpack usually is diminishing.

Recent storms have delivered 8 inches of new snow at West Glacier and up to 18 inches at higher elevations in the park, causing trouble for park plowing crews that spent part of this week clearing previously plowed roads.

Automated snow measuring sites in the park usually record a decrease in snow water content by mid-April, but they are instead recording increases.

A site above Many Glacier was measuring snow depths that had increased to 204 percent of the 30-year average over the last couple of weeks.

But as of Friday, the snowpack at Many Glacier was at 249 percent of average, with 59 inches of snow.

A higher-elevation site on Flattop Mountain is at 133 percent of average with 166 inches of snow, and the Noisy Basin site on the Swan Mountain Range is at 163 percent of average with 181 inches of snow and a snow-water equivalent of 72 inches.

That means if the Noisy Basin snowpack melted, it would produce 6 feet of water.

According to Glacier Park officials, last month was one of the wettest Marches on record for West Glacier, with 4.01 inches of precipitation approaching the record of 4.82 inches set in 2003.

With 3.36 inches falling so far in April, this month could be the wettest April on record at West Glacier. The previous record was 3.45 inches in 1958.

During the latter part of the week, park plow crews were able to resume work on Going-to-the-Sun Road, plowing through avalanche debris at Red Rock Point that was 30 feet deep and 100 feet wide.

Elsewhere they are encountering snow depths of 36 to 68 inches on the road surface.

Park avalanche specialists recently measured snow depths of 16 feet on the slopes of the Garden Wall above Sun Road.

The vehicle gate remains closed at Lake McDonald Lodge, but hikers and bikers will be able to travel beyond the gate this weekend. There also will be hiking and biking opportunities on the Camas Road, the Two Medicine Road, Sun Road beyond St. Mary and the Many Glacier Road.

“As our plow crews are getting into the interior of the park, the depths they are finding are tremendous. None of the avalanche chutes have slid significantly, making for some dangerous work ahead,” Glacier Superintendent Chas Cartwright said in a news release.

“Our number one priority is the safety of our employees and we will proceed ahead with the utmost caution using the knowledge and expertise of our plow crews and avalanche specialists.”

For photos, video clips and plowing status, visit the park’s web page, www.nps.gov/glac/index.htm.

Information on current park road conditions also is available at http://home.nps.gov/applications/glac/roadstatus/roadstatus.cfm. Travelers may also call park headquarters at 406-888-7800.

 for current road and weather conditions.