National Weather Service

Despite the lack of significant snowfall this winter in western Montana valleys, the National Weather Service told KGVO News on Wednesday that area mountain snowpack is at or above 100 percent.

Senior Meteorologist Bob Nester with the National Weather Service Office in Missoula was ready and waiting for the call from KGVO News early Tuesday morning with details of the current cold snap.

The National Weather Service is calling for a Winter Weather Advisory for western Montana through 11:00 a.m. on Monday.

The National Weather Service, in conjunction with the Missoula City County Health Department has declared that an Air Stagnation Advisory is now in effect in the Missoula valley.

As if this big dump of snow wasn’t enough, the National Weather Service and the West Central Montana Avalanche Center are predicting winds of 50 miles per hour or higher for travelers and avalanche danger for back country recreationists.

The National Weather Service is predicting a strong weather system that will deposit up to eight inches of new snow in the Missoula valley this week, with a possible three feet of snow in the surrounding mountains.

Visions of an early spring will be interrupted later this week as a winter cold snap accompanied by mountain snow will enter western Montana.

The National Weather Service is assuring valley residents that even though there wasn’t a great deal of snowfall this winter that mountain snow pack is in excellent shape

The National Weather Service has issued a high wind watch until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday.

Looking out the windows west of Billings from the top floor of the Doubletree Hotel I said to Pence, "It looks like an Iraqi dust storm out there." You could not only hear the wind howling, you could see it.