A spring storm dumped several inches of snow in western Montana on Tuesday, snapping tree limbs and pulling down power lines as it tracked east of the Continental Divide.
The National Weather Service issued heavy snow warnings and snow advisories throughout the area and predicted winter weather through Wednesday.
Peter Felsch, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Missoula, said some valleys could be buried beneath as much as 6 inches of snow before the storm blows out “and we’re talking feet up near the Continental Divide.”
A couple of inches of snow blanketed the northern Flathead Valley by noon, and more than 4 inches covered the roadway west of Marion.
The storm front is similar to one in June 2001 that dumped 4 inches of snow in downtown Missoula. Felsch said both storms were “very cold low-pressure events coming out of the Gulf of Alaska.”
The snow is expected to turn to rain Wednesday and will taper off Thursday and Friday.