Storm bumps mountain snowpack closer to average

A potent winter storm that hit the Flathead this week fell short of predicitons of 4-8 feet of new snow, but it did help boost mountain snowpack percentages slightly closer to average.

Between Jan. 15-20, the Flathead basin snowpack jumped from 67 percent of average to 76 percent, according to a report released by Marty Whitmore of the National Weather Service in Missoula. The Kootenai Basin climbed from 83 to 87 percent of average.

At Flattop Mountain in Glacier Park, nearly 20 inches of snow was tallied. A SNOTEL monitor there shows a snow depth of 84 inches as of Jan. 20.

Whitefish Mountain Resort reports 26 inches of new snow in the past week, with a settled base of 60 inches at the summit of Big Mountain.

At Noisy Basin in the Swan Mountains, 14 inches of snow fell during the storm, bringing the total depth to 57 inches.

Areas in the Bitterroot Mountains of West Central Montana picked up the most snow. A SNOTEL site on Lolo Pass on the border of Montana and Idaho shows 31 inches of snow fell between Jan. 15-20. Lookout Pass ski area reports 54 inches of new snow fell during the storm.