You are probably familiar with the old saying that if you don’t like the weather in Montana, stick around for a while because it will change.
That is certainly the case not too far down the road from Billings Thursday night as parts of eastern Montana are under a blizzard warning until 9 a.m. Friday.
“The wind is really bad. It is terrible,” said Jessica Rumph of Powder River County, one of several counties under that blizzard warning.
She sent MTN News several pictures of the drifting snow outside her home.
“This morning the drifts were over the top of our pickup. I laughed because whenever they ask us how much snow we got, where do you go? This part of my yard, I can see grass. This part is all the way up to the windows on my house,” she says.
More snow and high winds are expected, which has left many roads impassable. David Valencia decided to pause his trip from California to North Dakota until conditions improve.
“It got so bad where you couldn’t see five feet from the front of your bumper,” he says.
While plow crews were hard at work clearing the roads, it didn’t take long in many places for drifting snow to cover them once again. Custer County Fire Chief and Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Cory Cheguis says this weather is a good reminder to be prepared for the worst when traveling.
“Always have an emergency kit in your vehicle and a flashlight. Make sure your fuel tank is full. You know, if you are traveling, you might be stuck there for a while—adequate clothing, some blankets, some food, just have something in there because you could sit for a couple days. I’ve seen it before in the past. You just got to be prepared for these types of events,” he says.
