Great Falls in path of snowstorm
- Warmest February day: 65 on Feb. 6
- Coldest February day: -7 on Feb. 1
- Average for first 26 days: 32.3, 25th warmest on record.
- Forecast: Winter storm will move in Monday afternoon.
A winter storm is expected to wallop the Great Falls area Monday and Tuesday on the heels of a warmer-than-average February.
A strong arctic cold front will drop into the state from Canada with widespread snow developing in western Montana including Great Falls Monday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service in Great Falls.
Between 2 to 4 inches of snow is expected Monday and Tuesday in Great Falls, said Paul Nutter, a Weather Service meteorologist. Even more snow is expected in the mountains with as much as 8 inches falling on Kings Hill in the Little Belt Mountains.
Motorists traveling west through the Rocky Mountain passes and south on Interstate 15 can expect snow- and ice-covered roads, and should allow for extra driving time, Nutter said.
The fast-moving storm should end by midday Tuesday.
The low Saturday morning is forecast to be -2 with a high of 17, and the Sunday low will be 4 degrees with a high of 30.
February was warmer than usual.
The average monthly temperature for the first 26 days of the month was 32.5 degrees, which is 5.2 degrees above normal. That was the 25th warmest average temperature for that period in 130 years of Weather Service record-keeping.
The warmest temperature was 65 degrees on Feb. 6; the coldest morning was 7 below on Feb. 1.
No more than a half inch of snow accumulation was expected by Saturday morning from the light snow showers Friday.
Reach Tribune Staff Writer Karl Puckett at 406-791-1471, 1-800-438-6600 or kpuckett@greatfallstribune.com. Twitter: @GFTrib_KPuckett.