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Snow falls on Central Avenue.
Snow lovers, rejoice.
The National Weather Service on Thursday issued a briefing on a big winter storm moving into western Montana and northern Idaho over the weekend and into next week.
Beginning Saturday night, expect substantial snow for the mountain passes, meteorologist Jennifer Kitsmiller said Thursday afternoon in a conference call.
The potential snowfall in this time frame is moderate to heavy, Kitsmiller said.
West Glacier will get 4 to 6 inches, as will Polebridge, while Marias Pass will see between 6 and 8 inches. Whitefish is expected to see 1 to 3 inches. Kitsmiller also warned that gusty winds will cause low visibility in the mountains. That’s just the start.
Sunday evening into Monday, West Glacier and Polebridge are forecast to see an additional 6 to 8 inches, and Marias Pass will see 12-18 additional inches. Kitsmiller said meteorologists are still fine-tuning these amounts.
Also during this period is a significant temperature drop, causing ice on roadways, while gusty west winds will continue to cause visibility issues. This will lead to difficult or even dangerous travel, particularly on the Monday morning commute.
“Any moisture on the roadways could start causing problems,” Kitsmiller said.
Monday morning temperatures are forecast in the teens, with West Glacier at 15 and Polebridge at 14 degrees.
“We could start seeing widespread travel impacts,” Kitsmiller said.
Monday afternoon will see the initial push of cold arctic air making its way south.
Monday night into Tuesday, the arctic air front will continue to cause gusty northeastern winds and flash-freeze conditions for any moisture on roadways, making ice an issue.
Tuesday morning, temperatures will continue to drop. West Glacier’s forecast high is a mere 7 degrees, and Polebridge sits at 5.
Kitsmiller estimated winds, particularly in northeast/ southwest canyons to reach 40-50 miles per hour on Monday evening into Tuesday afternoon.
Wednesday will see temperatures drop below zero areawide and 12 below in Polebridge, before temperatures start to moderate on Thursday.