Freezing Rain

With up to a foot of snow over the past 48 hours, Mother Nature is playing a cruel joke on drivers in Missoula and western Montana today with a good dose of freezing rain over the snowfall.

The National Weather Service is reporting that Missoula will receive another four to six inches of snow today, with possible freezing rain as the week ends.

The National Weather Service is predicting that another round of snow is headed for northwest Montana.

So far, the Missoula area has experienced a dry fall, lots of snow over Christmas and into January, and with the advent of February, freezing valley rain and heavy mountain snow.

Montana's Ryan Zinke spent several hours in the witness chair yesterday in Washington during his confirmation hearing to become the Secretary of the Interior, including sharp questioning from Vermont's Bernie Sanders.

The National Weather Service is expecting a freezing rain event in the valleys of western Montana starting Tuesday night and continuing into Wednesday.

Monday morning's commute had a little bit of everything, snow, freezing rain and several slide-offs and crashes, even a snow slide on I-90, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

The National Weather Service is reporting that the Missoula area is in the grip of a weak La Nina patter, which has produced copious amounts of snow, and even some freezing rain and sleet, leading to a winter storm warning until 5:00 p.m. this afternoon.

Missoula will remain in the deep freeze..for now, but more snow and even freezing rain is in the extended forecast.

The body of a 65 year-old skier who was reported missing on December 22 has been recovered at Lost Trail Ski Area south of Missoula.