Impressive rain last week; frigid weather this week
Alpenglow during a cold snap at the end of February. Expect more cold this week. (Chris Peterson photo)
Last week’s rain brought some impressive totals to the Flathead Valley and now we can expect downright cold weather this week.
At the Glacier Park International Airport there was about 1.95 inches of rain and 0.3 inches of snow from Feb. 27 through March 3. The rain was steady through the period, and finally stopped late Thursday.
Rainfall totals were higher in West Glacier and at the Hungry Horse Dam. The dam reported about 3 inches of rain and at West Glacier, there was about 3.87 inches of rain as measured in Glacier National Park headquarters, along with three inches of snow at the start of storm, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Dan Zumpfe.
At the Flattop Snotel site in Glacier National Park, it recorded 5.3 inches of snow water equivalent, which amounted to about 30 inches of snow.
Flooding however, was minor, with some low-lying areas seeing ponding.
The higher elevations saw much needed snow and the rain soaked into the snow at lower elevations. Columbia Falls now has bare grass in many spots.
This week will see an arctic blast. The cold air should spill over the divide Monday night into Tuesday, with a couple inches of snow possible in the valleys and more in the higher terrain. Wednesday will be cold, with high in the single digits to mid—teens.
On Thursday morning, lows will be in the single digits to zero or below. Things rebound a bit by Friday, with highs in the 20s and 30s, depending on the terrain.