BOZEMAN – Moderate to heavy snow rolled over SW Montana Monday night into Tuesday morning with numerous reports of 5” to 10” for lower valleys a foot over some local mountain ranges.
The next round of snow and cold arrives Tuesday throughout the day on Wednesday. Plan on another 2”-4” on the low side and possibly 8”-12” on the high side for new snow accumulations. Mountains and passes could see 6”-12” or more. The other complication will be localized wind gusts producing areas of blowing snow and very low visibility.
After this third round of snow moves out Wednesday evening, the colder temperatures begin to dig into SW Montana. Morning lows will be around zero and some cold spots like Butte should fall well below zero Thursday, Friday and Saturday morning.
The National Weather Service issued a WINTER STORM WARNING for areas west of the divide and includes the Butte, Anaconda, Georgetown Lake, Deer Lodge, and Philipsburg areas. The warning begins at midnight Tuesday and goes through 8 pm Wednesday.
5”-10” of new snow is possible with higher amounts over higher elevations. East wind 15 to 25 mph gusting to 35 mph will produce localized areas of blowing snow, low visibility, and whiteout travel conditions.
The National Weather Service continues a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY east of the divide now through 9 pm Wednesday. Another 3”-6” of snow is possible with localized areas picking up over 6” and watch for gusty winds producing some blowing snow and low visibility. Mountain ranges in southern Beaverhead, Madison, Gallatin counties could see up a foot of new snow.
