It took awhile, but Old Man Winter finally arrives in Flathead
The first blast of winter finally arrived in the Flathead Valley Sunday, with about 6 inches of snow in Columbia Falls.
By CHRIS PETERSON
Hungry Horse News
The first blast of winter finally arrived in the Flathead Valley Sunday, with about 6 inches of snow in Columbia Falls.
Officially, the Glacier Park International Airport only recorded 1.5 inches of snow from the storm, said National Weather Service meteorologist Corby Dickerson, but he noted the airport gets significant wind.
The east winds did blow hard — the airport recorded a top gust of 40 mph.
The Izaak Walton Inn recorded 6 inches of snow from the storm as well.
Temperatures cooled considerably from Saturday to Sunday night.
It was 21 Christmas night at the airport. By Sunday night it was 3 and by Monday morning it was 2.
The cold air will remain through the week, Dickerson said, with the possibility of slight warming by the weekend, with highs in the 20s, though that’s not really certain.
Most nights should fall a few degrees below zero and highs in the single digits to low teens.
There are no major storms on the horizon, Dickerson said. Just small pulses of energy that should bring 1 to 2 inches at a time.
It is winter, after all.