County officials close stretch of Hodgson Road
A vehicle is stuck in the snow along Hodgson Road after whiteout conditions caused Flathead County to close the stretch of road between Trumble Creek Road and the Whitefish River on Tuesday, Feb. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
A motorist tries to shovel out a vehicle stuck in snow along Hodgson Road after whiteout conditions caused Flathead County to close the stretch of road between Trumble Creek Road and the Whitefish River on Tuesday, Feb. 21. (Casey Kreider/Daily Inter Lake)
Whiteout conditions led to the closure of Hodgson Road from Trumble Creek Road west to the Whitefish River, county officials said Tuesday morning.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino and Public Works Director David Prunty urged residents to avoid the stretch of road while traveling around the Flathead Valley.
The pair said in a press release that authorities would continue to assess conditions and reopen the road when possible.
Valley snowfall totals Tuesday varied from a few inches in Kalispell to 7 inches near Creston. More snow accumulated east of the Divide, with East Glacier reporting 12 inches and Many Glacier reporting 20 inches.
Gusting winds led to the closure of the main chair lifts at Whitefish Mountain Resort on Tuesday.
Temperatures across Northwest Montana were expected to plummet below zero overnight Wednesday. Wind chills on Wednesday were predicted bottom out at minus 30 in some areas.
