Bundle up in the backcountry this weekend

Weather forecasters are warning those headed into the backcountry to expect high-elevation snow and unseasonably cold, wet weather by the end of the weekend.

Bruce Bauck, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Missoula, said snow could fall at elevations as low at 7,000 to 8,000 feet in portions of Glacier National Park and the Mission Mountains beginning late Sunday.

“It’s a big change compared to what we’ve had the last couple days, and it’s not typical for what we expect in the second week of July,” Bauck said. “We want to make sure people are prepared, because this time of year there are a lot more people up in the backcountry hiking and camping.”

Throughout the region, the Weather Service is forecasting daytime temperatures on Sunday and Monday to peak around 20 degrees below average.

Kalispell’s overnight lows are expected to drop below 50 degrees beginning Saturday night, and high temperatures on Sunday and Monday are forecast at 63 degrees and 58 degrees, respectively.

Valleys could see precipitation totaling a half-inch to one inch, with four to six inches of snow possible above 8,000 feet.

The agency predicts next week will remain relatively cool, but with high temperatures in Kalispell reaching back up into the 70s by Tuesday.