CENTRAL MONTANA — Residents in Judith Basin and Fergus Counties continue to brace for more snow Sunday evening. About six inches are expected.
Lewistown police are asking residents to shelter in place as County plows begin to clear roads. Travel is only being advised under emergency conditions. Accidents on the road delay the plowing process.
US Highway 87 from Lewistown to Grass Range is back open. The highway is closed from Armington Junction to Stanford.
Snow-drifts as high as several feet reported, many people are unable to move their cars. Lewistown reports an accumulation of 17 inches. Residents are ready to hunker down for the next 24 hours.
“The outlook is probably stay here through Monday, I would guess, because there's a lot of county roads to plow,” says Fergus County resident, Ryan Hartford.
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Near Geyser, conditions are creating hazards for those living remotely.
“We have an elderly couple that's neighbors that we can't reach. Haven't been able to reach them for a couple days. We're going to probably take the snow cat and try and get to them and just check on them,” says Geyser resident, Justin Burt.
Justin’s wife, Melanie, says she feels terrible for the ranchers.
“I feel for them out there. They're out there for hours and hours taking care of hundreds of cattle,” she says.
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Both Geyser and Lewistown public schools have announced closures for Monday. Geyser schools says the time will be made up on Friday, January 17th. All Fergus County offices, and the courthouse are closing Monday.
Other announced school closures include Hobson, Roy, and Moore.
Bear Paw Ski Bowl which was forced to close on its opening weekend, due to 18 inches of snow causing travelers to become stuck, is back open. Showdown Ski Resort received 22 inches in 24 hours.
Whiteout conditions are still being reported near Eddie’s Corner and Monarch Canyon. Snow is expected to taper off heading into the evening, but a few inches of additional snow accumulation is still possible from Belt, Lewistown, and in the Highwoods.
Travel should be assumed risky across Central Montana until tomorrow afternoon.
