Hill County roads closed due to blowing, drifting snow

3 p.m. Hill County Road Department said it has lifted the emergency-travel only recommendation in place for rural county roads.

Noon: All county rural roads in Hill County are limited to emergency travel only until further notice due to decreased visibility caused by blowing snow and drifting, Hill County Road Supervisor Andy Hanson said.

Hanson said he made the decision today after two or three vehicle accidents occurred on back county roads. He added other vehicles have also become stuck in the drifts.

"When snow blows these snow drifts, they get about four or five feet high," he said.

Robert Gregory with the Montana Department of Transportation in Havre said despite the winds and drifting, no state roads in the area have been closed.

Local highways are causing some difficult travel due to reduced visibility and drifting.

The MDT online Road Report Map at shortly after noon showed some roads near Browning, including U.S. Highway 2 headed toward Marias Pass, were closed. The conditions in that area had improved slightly since about 15 minutes earlier.

The county has worked since Friday to plow 1,830 miles of county road, but Hanson said that because of the drifts, the department will likely have to plow them again.

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Online:

State road report map: https://www.mdt.mt.gov/travinfo/map/mtmap_frame.html