Serious cold is back and here to stay a while

Following some major snowstorms in October and November, winter took a break in this part of north-central Montana, but it is back and appears here to stay for a while.

Snow fell over the weekend and temperatures plummeted, going from a high of 64 degrees Tuesday to a low reported at the Havre City-County Airport of minus 19 at 11:51 p.m. Sunday.

And National Weather Service has recorded 5.5 inches of snow for the month at the airport, and the forecast does not call for warmer weather soon, instead the reverse is predicted and a wind chill advisory is in place for the region and most of Montana east of the Continental Divide.

Wind chills as cold as minus 35 or colder are expected through noon Thursday, and the advisory warns the wind chills could cause frostbite on exposed skin in 5 to 10 minutes. People who have to be outside are urged to wear appropriate layered clothing and hats, gloves and scarves.

People are also warned to take care of their pets and livestock during the cold.

Widespread light snow was expected through today, although no snow is in the forecast for this part of north-central Montana through Thursday, with a slight chance of snow Friday and Saturday for some areas.

But cold is in the forecast. Lows near or colder than minus 20 Fahrenheit are predicted through Friday, with several predictions of minus 25 or colder for some locations.

Highs are expected to stay below zero in the area from Tuesday through Saturday, with highs around minus 15 expected Thursday.

Highs are expected to creep into the single digits above zero by Sunday.

Water lines in cold weather

The City of Havre Water Department said in a notice that, every winter, several reported instances of water service lines freezing during the cold weather are made. In an effort to prevent the costly and sometimes futile expense to the homeowner attempting to thaw the frozen service line, the City of Havre Water Department made the following suggestions.

Even though a small additional cost to the homeowner may be involved, it is worthwhile to leave a small (pencil sized) stream of water from an open faucet running at all times to prevent a service line freeze up.

It is also suggested that the main sewer vent pipe outlet, located on the roof of the house be checked to insure that it is free of accumulations of ice and snow caused by high humidity and freezing temperatures.

See related story on water main breaks in this edition of Havre Dail News.