Coldest day might be Saturday

Frigid weather that has descended on the Flathead Valley is impacting outdoor events.

Parades were canceled Friday night in Columbia Falls and Bigfork while Whitefish Mountain Resort officials are reconsidering how much of the ski area will open today.

Temperatures well below zero and wind-chill values of minus 40 or lower are predicted across Northwest Montana today — the chilliest day of the current cold snap.

Wind-chill values early Saturday included minus 44 at Essex, minus 35 in Evergreen, minus 30 at Polebridge and minus 28 in Kalispell.

Faced with a worsening weather forecast, Whitefish Mountain Resort has announced it may limit its opening-day operations today.

Revised forecasts call for temperatures of minus 20 and winds of 13 mph (gusting to 21 mph) today on Big Mountain.

Those forecasts proved true: A 6 a.m. Saturday snow report said the summit of Big Mountain had a temperature of minus 21 with wind chill of 40 to 50 degrees below zero "so the upper mountain will not open first thing this morning."

“If the current forecast holds, there is a good chance we will close the upper mountain for the safety of our guests and our employees,” spokeswoman Riley Polumbus said in a news release Friday afternoon.

“Should that be the case, we will consider opening lower mountain chairlifts: 2, 3, 6 and Big Easy Carpet and offering a discounted lift ticket of $40 for ages 13-64 and $25 for ages 7-12 and 65-69.”

Polumbus said resort officials would make the decision as early as possible this morning and monitor conditions throughout the day.

Previously, the resort had planned extensive top-to-bottom access for the opening day of the winter season.

The cold weather prompted the cancellation of the popular Night of Lights Parade in downtown Columbia Falls that had been scheduled for Friday night. The Teakettle Craft Show in Columbia Falls also was canceled.

Bigfork’s Magical Holiday Parade planned Friday night also was canceled due to the cold.

The National Weather Service forecast for the Kalispell area calls for clear skies and a high of minus 2 today (after an expected overnight low of minus 15). 

Wind-chill values in the Flathead Valley today are predicted to be as low as minus 41 because of north winds of 24 to 26 mph and gusts as high as 34 mph.

The thermometer is predicted to drop to minus 17 tonight followed by a high of 7 degrees Sunday and low of minus 9 Sunday night.

By Monday a slight warming trend will begin, with a high of 13 and low of 2 forecast. Tuesday’s high is expected to be 21 with a low of 12.

Beyond the Flathead Valley, it will be even colder today.

The forecast for Polebridge calls for the North Fork hamlet to get to minus 33 tonight. West Glacier and Essex should reach minus 26 tonight. Wind-chill values in those areas could drop to 50 below zero.

Online:

www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso