HELENA — How much snow did you get over the weekend? 24” like Lewistown? 36" like Bear Paw Ski area? Or zero inches like I got at my house.
One of the biggest storms in years hit parts of Montana over the weekend. Don't believe it because you got no snow where you live? This was Lewistown where there were reports of two feet with drifts more than 6 feet deep.
In the Bear Paw Mountains south of Havre, there was too much of a good thing at Bear Paw Ski Area. Three feet of snow fell and roads were so bad on Saturday that no one could get to the hill for the scheduled opening day. But Sunday a single wide lane was plowed and the season started off with a bang as lots of people showed up for some of the best opening conditions ever.
Then there were the Little Belt Mountains. A yardstick wasn't long enough to measure the snow depth. Nonstop snow fell from Thursday into Sunday night. In that period, more than 5 feet of snow fell in some areas. Showdown Montana Ski Area had it's biggest storm in about 4 years and an incredible amount of fresh powder and fun for everyone that braved the snowy roads to get there.
Even the Little Rocky Mountains up near Zortman had nearly 2 feet of snow. All of these areas have locations are geographically similar, the higher terrain of central Montana. This storm favored the upslope areas in the plains. the mountains provided orographic lift, ringing out the moisture as the air was forced upwards from the adjacent plains that saw very little moisture.
Sometimes that Continental Divide giveth, and sometimes it taketh away.
