Forecasters: Snow and bitter cold on the way
Conditions across Northwest Montana will go from bad to worse as a significant winter weather system moves into the region today.
Snow totals in the Flathead Valley could be shin-deep by the time the snow ends Sunday night, with even more falling in the mountains.
Meteorologist Ryan Leach with the National Weather Service in Missoula said there is a high confidence in a cold, snowy change in the weather beginning today. Kalispell residents could be shoveling 2 to 4 inches of new snow Saturday morning, while Trout Creek, Libby and West Glacier will see higher amounts.
The initial blast of snow will taper off Saturday before the second, more-potent surge of moisture hits Saturday night through Sunday night. The second round of snow could bring another 8 to 12 inches to Kalispell, Libby and West Glacier.
Meanwhile, multiple feet of snow will stack up in the mountains. Whitefish Mountain Resort will be looking at powder conditions all weekend. The avalanche danger is expected rise this weekend with all the new snow, according to the Flathead Avalanche Center.
As the snow winds down Sunday night, the wind picks up and temperatures quickly drop. Blizzard conditions are likely Monday morning in the Flathead Valley. High temperatures will top out near zero, and lows will dip to minus 5 to minus 15. Winds could gust up to 40 mph, dropping wind chill values to dangerous levels.
“The Monday morning commute could be pretty bad in Northwest Montana,” Leach warned, noting the potential for blowing and drifting snow.
Blizzard conditions are most likely in the Badrock Canyon east of Columbia Falls, and along Montana 35 from Columbia Falls to Bigfork.
Leach said the raw conditions will probably continue through next week. The 10-day outlook shows below average temperatures and above normal precipitation.
“For quite a while now there’s been a lot of very cold air that’s been locked up in Alaska, and this is opening the door on it as we go through this pattern change,” Leach said.
Download the Daily Inter Lake app for breaking news, features and more: