Last of the 70s: Major Winter Storm Coming to Montana

Our weather outlook just took another move toward "winter" this afternoon, with the National Weather Service issuing a Winter Storm Watch, covering all the high country in Western Montana, as well as the Tobacco Root, Gravely, Centennial, and Madison ranges in Southwest Montana, as well as the Little Belt and Highwood Mountains in Central Montana.

With high pressure leaving the region, the way is opening for another Pacific system to move into Montana, starting Friday afternoon when temperatures will hit the 70-degree range for the last time this year. It shouldn't cause too much discomfort for the UM homecoming game or the 'Cats' showdown with Idaho State Saturday, although we are expecting clouds and rain.

A major storm could produce upwards of 2 to 6 inches of snow in the higher valleys, and even 1 to 2 feet in Glacier National Park and the Northern Divide, with multiple inches possible on most of the passes.

     🌨️ It appears the brunt of that storm will move in Saturday night into Sunday, with cold weather lasting into early next week.

Alpine roads closed for season

Last weekend's snow and the incoming storm have erased chances of the Beartooth Highway reopening, with the Wyoming Department of Transportation deciding to close the route for the season. The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier also closed last weekend and isn't expected to reopen.

Now Missoula area deer are sick

More news regarding deer disease in Montana today.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks suspects that hemorrhagic disease (HD) is responsible for recent white-tailed deer deaths west of Missoula along the Clark Fork River and around Frenchtown.  FWP has also received a few localized reports near the towns of Potomac and Lincoln in the Blackfoot Valley. All of these cases are suspect but have not yet been confirmed through lab testing.

     Earlier this week, FWP reported a similar outbreak in Southeast Montana, along with evidence of deer and antelope experiencing "blue tongue disease."

Daines explains Eastern Montana coal change

Senator Steve Daines says repeal of a controversial BLM decision to stop issuing coal leases in the Powder River Basin still gives the agency leeway to make future conservation plan amendments, just not with an outright ban.

But he says reversion of the Miles City Resource Management Plan Amendment by the Senate yesterday cuts off the "attack" made on Montana coal mining in the closing weeks of the Biden Administration.

"What today's resolution does is it rolls back officially Biden's war on Montana coal, and it does not affect the underlying resource management plan." -Senator Daines

That decision last winter was a showdown between Montana's GOP Congressional delegation and BLM Director Tracy Stone-Manning of Missoula, who is now director of The Wilderness Society.

New Montana fires? Yes.

Another reminder that it's still dry in parts of Montana, after 4 fires started yesterday, including one near Flathead Lake. Some residents living on Jette Hill above Polson were evacuated for a time after a grass fire started Wednesday afternoon. Polson Rural Fire crews were able to get a line around the blaze in less than an hour.

     Montana DNRC reports there are still 81 active fires across the state.

Great Falls Library plans progress

Great Falls may be back on course to spruce up its library, with the library's Foundation ready to launch a campaign to raise $13 million for the remodeling. The Electric reports that there will be no taxpayer or city funds used for the project.