Wind, heavy snow cause power outages, road closures in Montana

ELENA, Mont. — Strong winds and heavy snow led to power outages and temporary road closures in western Montana as a wintry storm threatened to drop several feet of snow in some areas of the northern Rocky Mountains.

The National Weather Service in Great Falls reported nearly a foot (28 centimeters) of snow had fallen near Marias Pass just south of Glacier National Park by mid-morning Saturday, Sept. 28. Meteorologists said snowfall rates in the Glacier park and Blackfeet Reservation areas could reach up to an inch (2.5 centimeters) an hour during the height of the storm.

Winds Friday night knocked down trees and damaged power lines, causing scattered outages in northwestern Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front.

The storm system was also bringing strong winds and snow to the mountains of northern Washington and northern Idaho.