Blizzard still hitting parts of Montana, some snow forecast here

Staff and wire report

Snow continues to shut down parts of North Dakota after also closing schools and roads in Montana, with some snow also forecast over the weekend in the Havre area.

What has been likened to a 100-year blizzard walloped southwest and southern Montana this week before moving into North Dakota.

In Montana, AccuWeather reports many areas received more than a foot of snow, while others received two to three feet and Albro Lake near Pony in the southwest part of the state received 47 inches.

This part of the state evaded the blizzard, although more snow fell than was expected. The initial Weather Service Forecast predicted no more than 1 inch of snow in this region, but nearly 1.9 inches was recorded at the station at Havre City-County Airport.

The temperatures dropped dramatically, however, with the region going from the 50s and 60s and warmer — Havre saw a high of 79 degrees Friday — and lows in the 20s and 30s to highs in the 20s and lows in the teens Tuesday and Wednesday.

And record snowfall from the spring blizzard is shutting down government offices, schools and some businesses for a third day in North Dakota.

The Capitol and other state offices in Bismarck and beyond remained closed today, public and private schools canceled classes or switched to virtual instruction, flights at the Bismarck Airport were canceled and some highways are still closed.

The National Weather Service’s blizzard warning for much of the state and smaller sections of South Dakota and Montana remained in effect today.

Fallon and Carter counties in the southeast corner of Montana were under the warning through noon today.

More than a foot of snow has fallen in Bismarck with about 2 feet in Dickinson and Glenburn.

“For the month of April it’s not uncommon to get the snow. Now, snow of this magnitude — this is something that’s a little bit more unique,” said Rick Krolak, at the weather service’s Bismarck office.

The state has activated its Emergency Operations Center and is coordinating with local emergency managers across North Dakota to ensure that resources are available if needed, according to the governor’s office.

While the blizzard has disrupted day-to-day life in North Dakota, the precipitation will ease the drought that has lingered in the state, the Bismarck Tribune reported.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor map shows nearly all of the western half of the state as being abnormally dry or in some form of drought. Northwestern North Dakota is in extreme drought, the second-worst category.

Most of Montana, except for the northwest corner of the state, also is in drought conditions.

Blaine, Chouteau, Hill and LIberty counties are in bands of D3 extreme drought conditions that run across the state and most of the rest is in D2 severe drought status, the U.S. Drought Monitor says.

While the storm that has hit should help with snowpack and with drought conditions in the southwest, west and eastern edge of the state, the forecast calls for snow in this region but not a lot, and how much it will help with the drought is unclear.

Weather Service reports that a Pacific system is bringing another chance of snow Saturday through early Sunday, with the best chance of snow over north-central Montana, the central part of the state and mountain areas.

On the Weather Service graphic, the Havre-area is listed as having a 46 percent probability of receiving more than two inches of snow from 6 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday.

Temperatures are expected to be warming with highs in the 30s today and Friday, warming to near 40 Saturday and Sunday and back into the 50s early next week, with no snow predicted from Sunday morning through Monday and a slight chance of rain Tuesday

The amount of snow is not likely to have much impact on the water deficit in this area.

Monday, Weather Service reported Havre as having received .02 inches of precipitation for April, compared to a normal value of .28 inches. For the calendar year, Havre had received .77 inches of precipitation, compared to a normal value of 1.59 inches and for the water year, measured from Oct. 1 through Sept. 30, Havre by Monday had received 2.61 inches with a normal value of 3.23 inches.

The snow this week added .13 inches of precipitation, but did not impact the deficit by much. For the calendar year Havre has .9 inches compared to a normal value of 1.68 inches while, for the water year, Havre has 2.74 inches compared to a normal value 3.32 inches.

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Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.