Area continues to see difficult driving conditions

Editor’s note: The Havre Daily News received the following announcement from Havre Public Works Department after today’s edition already was sent to the press:

“The City of Havre will begin trying to clear out snow from the downtown area, starting Friday morning (12/30/22). Please be patient with our crews as they work.As snow and slush continue to pile up across Havre, many drivers are facing troubles getting around, particularly in the downtown area.”

The original story follows:

Wednesday afternoon, Havre Public Works Director Dave Peterson said his team was focusing on the town's intersections but hadn't gotten to plowing the roads in full yet, in part because it was still snowing at the time.

Peterson said they are keeping up as best they can.

At the time of writing this morning the streets were still covered in snow and slush, with a lot of drivers getting stuck, sometimes more than once during small trips around town.

Officials around the country where snow has piled up are advising people to avoid driving if possible.

Some people who can't stay at home have been having problems.

The Havre Police Department dispatch log reported that at 5:18 this morning a caller said their vehicle had gotten stuck at 11th Street West and Assiniboine Avenue and they needed assistance getting to the hospital.

Dispatch logs in the last weeks have had multiple reports of people being stuck.

Indeed, while the extreme temperatures that plagued the area last week abated somewhat in the past few days, the area has, and likely will, see plenty more snow in the days and weeks to come.

The National Weather Service recording station at the Havre City-County Airport reported 5.8 inches of new snow between 9:30 a.m. Wednesday and 1:30 this morning, with 13 inches of snow depth at the airport.

The 5.5 inches that fell Wednesday to midnight set a new record, beating the 5.3 inches that fell Dec. 28, 1938.

Before the last snowfall, Havre had received 25.3 inches, with the normal amount for Dec. 28 at 7.2 inches.

The National Climate Prediction Center posted Dec. 15 that this region is likely to see below-normal temperatures and above-normal precipitation through March.

While many drivers have been having difficulty getting around downtown, some businesses in the area seem to be taking things in stride.

Havre Beneath the Streets Office Manager Christy Owens said she has a four-wheel drive, so she hasn't had much trouble, but she's definitely heard from people who have been less lucky.

Owens said business is pretty slow this time of year anyway so she doesn't see a big number of customers being affected just because there are less of them.

Dyllan's Pizza owner David Murray said one of his employees had a really tough time getting to work Wednesday, but that's the biggest problem he's seen.