Q2 Photo Gallery: October Snow

 While Billings has seen a mixture of snow and rain today, Red Lodge residents are looking at their first major snowstorm of the year.

Residents have been shoveling and snow plowing for much of the day and we took a trip to the mountainside town on this snowy day.

The shovels have been out in full force as Red Lodges faces their first big snowfall.

"I knew it was going to snow last night, but I didn't think that it was going to be this deep this morning" said resident Jessi Klein.

"I'm from South Carolina so this was a bit of a change for me" added Michael Szczutkowski. "Because my car was covered up over there and it was like 4-5 feet of snow drifts."

The fresh snowfall created a bit of a winter wonderland, but it can be a hassle if you're trying to get somewhere.

"I'm stuck, no I'm just trying to get my car out, so I can get out when I leave work" said Red Lodge resident Sue Rodibaugh.

Walking through the streets of Red Lodge, it looks like winter has arrived.  But the residents are so sure they're ready for it.

"It's pretty ridiculous I thought that we'd have a little bit more of a summer, but I guess we'll just have to deal with this" said Klein.

"No I'm not ready for it I have no snow shovels, no snow blower, none of that stuff.  I don't have any of it.  Gotta make a stop at the hardware store, huh?  Yeah" added Rodibaugh.

I think summer should stick around for another couple weeks so I can get used to this" stated Szczutkowski.

Much like last year's mid-October snowstorm, this year's snowfall won't necessarily last, but it definitely gives folks a reminder of what's coming up.

As of Monday evening, the power was still out in many areas. Yellowstone Valley Electric says two to 300 people in the Whitebird, Nye and West Bench areas are still without power and it will be several hours before it's fully restored.

Earlier Monday the storm left a few thousand Montana and Wyoming residents out of power. Beartooth and Yellowstone Valley Electric Cooperative customers were some of the hardest hit.

Meanwhile, NorthWestern Energy crews had their hands full restoring service to parts of the Billings Heights, Absarokee and Bridger.

(Monday mid-day report)

The first snowfall of the season has left thousands of people without power across the state, but it's mostly affecting higher elevations and rural areas.

Pictures sent in from people in south central Montana show that the snow is piling up and still falling.

Electric Cooperatives and NorthWestern Energy spokespeople tell us Carbon and Stillwater counties have been hit the hardest.

The power outages started as early as 2:00 a.m. Monday morning, and a bulk of them occurred before 8:00 a.m.

Power officials tell us trees and snow are weighing on lines and causing the problems. Crews are out in full force restoring power throughout the area and power companies want customers to call them if they notice any problems.

There's also been reports of several slide offs on I-90 between Billings and Laurel and minor fender benders around Billings.

Beartooth Electric Cooperative manager Ron Roodell says the outages started as early as 2:00 a.m. and the bulk of outages occurred around 4:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. Roodell says the outages are due to snow load on the lines and trees coming down on them.

He added that all Beartooth Electric crews are on the scene working and they have called in another three crews to help. As of 10:00 a.m., Roodell says the Northwestern Energy transmission line was out. He says the Roberts sub-station is out as well.

Beartooth Electric is asking customers to be their "eyes and ears" and if they see any outages or problems to call them at 446-2310.

Northwestern Energy spokesperson Claudia Rapkoch says the heavy wet snow has caused a couple major power outages and several smaller outages across south central Montana.

Rapkoch said crews were trying to restore power to parts of the city's south side around Jackson Street in Billings on Monday morning,

She added that the town of Absarokee is without power this morning and crews are working there.

We have also received viewer reports that the power is out in some areas of the Billings Heights and parts of southern Stillwater County.

Park Electric Cooperative is currently working on three significant outages.  Power is out in areas north and south of Livingston and south of Big Timber. 

Snow began falling overnight and looks like it will continued for most of the day. Billings and the entire region are under a Winter Storm Warning, with heavy snowfall expected and dangerous traveling conditions that will only worsen as the day unfolds. Very cold daytime highs stuck in the lower and middle 30s.

Strong low pressure responsible for this mess will slide to the East throughout the day. Look for cloudy and cold conditions tonight as the snow comes to an end with lows in the middle and upper 20s.

The winds will shift to the Southwest overnight as a ridge of high pressure builds in. That will allow for warmer air to move in tomorrow as temps take off to the lower 50s on Tuesday. Enjoy that, because another shot of much colder air is expected by the end of the week.

Arctic air slides in Thursday night with high temps on Friday in the upper 20s to lower 30s. Overnight lows could plummet to the middle and upper teens across the region as we head into the weekend.

• Billings 35/29  Moisture Chance: Today: 100%  Tonight: 40%

CLICK HERE: Stormtracker Cameras