First big snow is on the way for Flathead

The National Weather Service is predicting Kalispell and areas around the Flathead Valley will get the first significant snowfall of the year Monday night. 

“We’ll start seeing rain start off and after 5 p.m. we expect it to turn all snow,”  National Weather Service meteorologist Luke Robinson said during a Monday afternoon conference call.

Robinson said Kalispell residents can expect as much as 5 inches of snow overnight, which should impact morning travel. The heaviest snowfall, 5 to 8 inches, is expected for Libby, Polebridge, West Glacier and possibly Columbia Falls.

Most Western Montana mountain passes are expected to get heavy snow, creating hazardous driving conditions.