Wind is Gone, But Now Here Comes the Montana Snow

High winds are dying down across Montana, after a brutal couple of days that saw hurricane-force gusts sweeping across the open areas of the state.

Winds in many locations were gusting 40 to 50 miles per hour through Monday and into the overnight hours. A detour had to be used for several hours on I-90 around Livingston because of the winds that were gusting over 60-miles per hour at times.

     The infamous Deep Creek weather station southwest of Browning along the Front had recorded gusts up to 89-miles per hour.

Now, here comes the snow

We won't be talking about the wind in a few days, but about a significant shift in our weather pattern, with heavy snow in the mountains, down into the valleys, and even onto the plains. In Western Montana, forecasters in Missoula are warning of an active weather pattern starting Friday through next Wednesday, with more storm chances through late November. Forecasters in Billings are also anticipating that above-average temperatures will turn more winter-like by the end of the week, with Great Falls also tracking a cold front.

Town Pump food drive is more important than ever

It's been a key fundraiser for food banks and pantries across Montana for nearly a quarter century. But this year's "Be a Friend in Deed, Help Those in Need" campaign is taking on special significance at Town Pump locations across the state. That's especially true for Montana's small towns, where many people are dealing with the significant cutoff of SNAP food assistance payments.

The Town Pump effort has raised over $52-million over those years, with an estimated $12-million in direct grants, raised through customers' generosity and the dollar-for-dollar match by the Town Pump Charitable Foundation. Those funds are then directed specifically to the communities where the donations are raised.

The drive is nearing the half-million dollar goal, with Town Pump reporting over $177,000  raised by the convenience stores so far, and another $57,000 in the casinos.

     The drive runs through November.

Stevensville mayor's settled by just 4 votes

The race for mayor in Stevensville is over, with the heated contest being decided by just 4-votes. Monday, Ravalli County elections officials counted one provisional ballot, which narrowed the margin for incumbent Bob Michalson. But that's still short of the 3-votes that would have been needed to force an automatic recount, so challenger Jim Crews will be returning to the mayor's chair.

Museum already planning trips for new historic plane

Leaders of the Museum of Mountain Flying are saying their latest acquisition has come home for the entire state of Montana, and will be making flights in the future, especially to the town in called home for so many years.

During a welcoming event over the weekend, pilot Eric Komberec noted the plane, famous for its use in the Steven Spielberg film "Always", filmed in Libby, will visit Billings, where it was based as a working fire tanker for years.

"This airplane is really a Montana treasure. Not only was it famous for the movie, but it spent a lot of years in Billings and fighting fires, and means a lot to the Montana family in Billings. So that's our goal, is to get it there this year." -Eric Komerec, Museum of Mountain Flaying President

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