Wet snow dumps on north-central Montana

The snowfall that began Sunday night after 11 p.m. is expected to continue late into the day and officials have already received reports of damage related to the accumulation.

Havre Fire Department Chief Tim Hedges said fire crews responded to a snowfall-related incident this morning just before 7.

A power line that was weighted down by snow fell and ignited a tree limb which then fell on a car on the 400 Block of First Avenue. The limb self-extinguished and the power line was repaired by NorthWestern Energy.

Hedges said he has heard one additional report of a fallen limb and expects to hear more as the day progress.

"I would think so. It's pretty heavy out there," he said.

Paul Nutter from the National Weather Service in Great Falls said that by the 6 this morning, 3 inches of snow had fallen. The snow is expected to continue late into the evening, until about 6 p.m., and temperatures to gradually fall into the upper 20s. Nutter projected that, by the time the snowfall ceases, Havre will have accumulated about 5 inches of snow.

Because the ground is still warm and the temperatures will fall below freezing, it is likely ice will develop, Nutter said.

Temperatures are expected to fluctuate near the freezing point through Wednesday, but the second half of the week is expected to be dry and warmer, with highs possibly into the 50s by the weekend, Nutter said.