Ho, Ho, Ho, Where is the Snow?

Everyone is asking the same question; It's November, so where is the snow?

Hunters, skiers and snowmobilers are bombarding the National Weather Service switchboard asking when Missoula can expect its first snowfall of the fall season.

Meteorologist Trent Smith said they'll just have to be patient, because there's no snow in the immediate forecast.

"We've just had a strong ridge of high pressure that's sitting over the top of us right now," Smith said. "We had a really wet October and we've finally transitioned out of that pattern into this ridge and it has been dry for the past several days, and it will continue that way for at least the remainder of this week."

Smith says people are itching for that first inch of snow.

"I know that since it's November that people are going to want to get up into the ski areas, but it's not looking like it's going to snow anytime soon according to our weather models," he said. "The first snow usually occurs right around mid-November, with November 18th being the average first day for Missoula with November 10th in Kalispell. Four out of the last five years it has snowed in the first week of November in Missoula, but there have been years where Missoula did not receive its first snow until the first couple of weeks of December."

Smith said western Montana is expecting some moisture by the weekend, but the warm temperatures will likely keep it at just rain.