Winter storms, freezing temperatures hit county
<p><strong>Hail falls on plains during one of the first storms of the season. Despite the El Nino forecasts, the storm brought freezing temperatures to the valley for several days.</strong></p>
SANDERS COUNTY – The first major winter storm came to the area last week, leading to weather warnings, as high winds, freezing temperatures and snowstorms pushed through Western Montana.
The majority of the weather hit Tuesday afternoon and evening. The area was hit by high winds and spattering rain with some snowfall in higher elevation areas. The winds in particular led to issues as trees and man-made structures broke under the assault.
According to Ryan Leach, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Missoula, the majority of damage in the area occurred in Mineral County and further south; much of Sanders County being sheltered. The weather service received numerous reports of damage from around the I-90 corridor. These were mostly broken trees, though the Superior schools were also closed for the day thanks to power outages.
“That’s the spot in the past we’ve had felled trees,” said Leach. “Highway 200 is much more sheltered and lower altitude.”
It was noted the timing of the storms played a big role in Sanders County being less effected by the winds. The weather service estimates the cooling evening temperatures caused the weather system to shift enough so the worst of the winds were higher up or blocked by the mountain.
“If it had come through earlier in the day we would have had a lot more damage,” Leach said.
He also noted, while there may have been less severe damage in the valleys, there may have been additional damage in the mountains, especially along the western face. However, reports from these areas are rare due to populations. He recalled the steepness of the mountains meant there were fewer residents and weather monitoring equipment to draw off of.