MAP: Another Tricky Tuesday for Montana Highways
By 11am there were over 80 incidents on Montana highways. Crashes, slide-offs and jackknifed semis were wreaking havoc on traffic flow and causing backups and delays. Snow, wind and cold temperatures are creating dangerous conditions and more is on the way.
Most of the state is under a Winter Weather Advisory, with ANOTHER Advisory taking effect sometime on Tuesday or early Wednesday.
Basically, conditions are not going to improve for another 48 hours or so.
Many towns will be spending the day below zero. (For comparison, Yellowstone National Park was generally in the 30s during the day on Tuesday!)
Colder temperatures will take hold Tuesday night with most of Montana experiencing below zero temps on and off until mid-day Thursday.
As of 12 noon on Tuesday, 1/4/22:
- Cut Bank: -15
- Havre: -9
- Great Falls: -12
- Grass Range: -11
- Glasgow: -4
- Whitefish: 18
- Missoula: 25
- Helena: 1
- Bozeman: 23
- Billings: 8
By Noon on Tuesday, the stretch of I-90 between Bozeman and Butte appeared to have the greatest number of incidents. (You can see a current list of accidents across the state of Montana HERE.)
The MDT cameras are extremely helpful to check before you hit the roads. The picture below shows the conditions on Homestake Pass between Bozeman and Butte at 12 noon on Tuesday.
Northeast Montana has been battling wind more than anything. Blowing and drifting snow has reduced visibility in many locations. The image below is from Saco, MT at 12 noon, via Montana Department of Transportation.