Billings Gazette - 01/21/08

BILLINGS -- As advertised, the first major storm this winter arrived Saturday and Sunday, blanketing the area with deep, fluffy snow and sending residents scrambling to keep clear of sub-freezing temperatures, which are expected to continue today.

The combined cold and snow set in late Saturday as temperatures plunged to single digits and heavy snow fell. The bulk of the snow arrived between midnight and 6 a.m. Sunday.

The storm produced the most snow since March 30, 2007, when nearly a foot of snow was recorded in some parts of Billings.

This weekend's storm dumped 6 inches of snow at the weather station at the Billings airport, according to the National Weather Service. The areas north of Absarokee and Harlowton recorded the most snow in the region with 10 inches.

Other snow totals, as of the 24-hour period ending at noon Sunday, were: Laurel, 7 inches; Livingston, 4; Sheridan, Wyo., 6; Joliet, 4; Roberts, 2; Red Lodge, 3; Cooke City, 8; and Roundup, 4.

The storm arrived as an arctic front from the north and northeast collided with Pacific moisture. Weather forecasters were predicting the storm to hit the Billings area about six days before it arrived. It delivered on time and as expected, said Kurt Hooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Billings.

"It was a pretty classic setup,'' he said.

Continued snow on Sunday combined with windy conditions and single-digit temperatures made for slick and sometimes difficult driving conditions. Montana Highway Patrol reported several vehicles that slid off state roadways but no serious injuries. No major weather-related problems were reported in Billings.

Cold temperatures were expected to continue overnight Sunday into today, with lows around minus 4 and windchills from minus 10 to minus 15. The high today in Billings is expected around 7 degrees. Scattered snow flurries are forecast until around 11 a.m. Temperatures are expected to creep back into the 20s by Tuesday and continue for much of the rest of the week.