Summer tourist season starts with snow

By Andrew Fish/Leader Staff

As the Flathead Valley was gearing up for the start summer tourist season Tuesday, residents awoke to find landscapes, and vehicles, blanketed in snow. According to Peter Felsch of the Missoula Office of the National Weather Service, the unusual summer snowfall has everything to do with a "strong, deep upper level low-pressure system from the Gulf of Alaska that moved into Eastern Washington and is now moving into Western Montana." He added that this non-routine weather pattern happens "maybe once every 5 to 10 years and that the last time the area witnessed this type of system was in June of 2001."

The north end of the Flathead Valley may be particularly hard hit, potentially receiving 6-8 inches of snow. The heavy snow warning issued by the NWS advises that the "heavy wet snowfall associated with this system may pose significant travel difficulties as well as damage to deciduous trees that have leafed out." As of press time, the NWS is predicting that up to 3 inches of snow may accumulate on the valley floor and up to 5 inches in the surrounding hills. The snow advisory remains in effect until Noon today.

Polson Police Chief Doug Chase said that so far the weather has not caused any traffic problems but it is making it difficult for crews working to repair potholes. City Manager Jay Henry confirmed this, stating that "they can't fix the potholes when it's wet because the patch won't hold."

It's a different story over at Mission Valley Power, though. There was a brief power outage effecting several business along Highway 93 through Polson. Operations and Construction manager Craig Morigeua gave the cause of that outage as snow laden trees touching the power lines and added that "we've been busy since 7:30 a.m. this morning with scattered outages throughout the Mission Valley, mostly in timbered areas, and that his crews are working diligently to restore power as soon as possible."

For those concerned about potential travel difficulties, officials reccomend using Montana 511, Montana Department of Transportation's automated road information system. The system offers 24-hour road condition reports and weather information. Those with a phone company that does not support 511 service can dial 1-800-226-7623 instead.

While the Glacier National Park area is predicted to see the most snowfall, Melissa Wilson, Public Affairs Specialist for Glacier National Park doesn't expect the unusually-late snowfall to have much effect on the park. "Unless the snowfall makes the avalanche chutes impossible to see, the crews will continue to plow Going-to-the-Sun Road. This storm is unlikely to add much to this year's above-average snowpack," said Wilson. She also reminded visitors that "there is much more to Glacier National Park than Going-to-the-Sun Road and any impact this storm has on the lower elevation areas is likely to be temporary." Visitors with questions may contact the Park's general information line at (406) 888-7800. A live person may be reached on this line Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 pm. For 24-hour information, an automated road report is available through option #2.