Snow storm to pound Whitefish mountains

Up to a foot of snow could fall in the mountains of Northwest Montana this weekend as a cold front moves across the region.

The National Weather Service in Missoula has issued a winter weather advisory for the mountains above 4,000 feet through Monday morning.

Mountain passes are expected to be hit Saturday with snow and wind, including some erratic gusts up to 35 mph.

Precipitation in the valleys will begin as mostly rain or a rain/snow mix, but could change to all snow by Sunday morning. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible in Whitefish.

The Weather Service says a cool and wet weather pattern will remain “for the foreseeable future."