Montana Snowstorm: State Under Winter Storm Emergency After A Weekend Of Heavy Snowfall

A stormy weekend has left parts of Montana buried under four feet of snow as the state remained under a winter storm emergency Monday.

Residents in the northwestern U.S. were hit with the early season snowstorm over the weekend. The National Weather Service reported snowfall in parts of California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah as part of the “historic” storm.

However, Montana faced the worst of the storm, with some areas reporting over 40 inches of snow. It was made worse by reported wind gusts between 30 and 35 mph, resulting in downed trees, power lines, and power outages.

Gov. Steve Bullock declared a winter storm emergency to keep people off the roads and get emergency crews out to resolve any power issues.

“With an unprecedented winter storm throwing our state a surprise in September, state and local governments are working closely together to protect the health and safety of Montanans and our top priority is making sure that happens,” Bullock said in a statement. “Montanans should heed all warnings from state and local officials, travel safely, and be cautious during this time.”

As of Monday afternoon, Northwestern Energy crews were still working to get power back for some residents. Several school districts also announced closures as crews worked to clear roadways.

“We were fortunate to receive several days of notice from the National Weather Service – which did a good job predicting the size and magnitude of this storm,” Bullock continued.

While Monday was forecasted to remain cloudy with no snowfall, the Weather Channel reports more snow to hit Montana on Tuesday and Wednesday before the stormfront clears.