Snowy weather causing mishaps

By The Standard Staff - 02/26/2008

The Butte region was hit Monday by its heaviest snowfall this month, which caused some early morning slide-offs and fender benders along the area’s slick roads.

The Montana Highway Patrol reported several minor accidents caused by the slippery conditions and slushy snow. There were some reports of tractor trailers jackknifing on Homestake and Pipestone passes.

An official with the highway patrol dispatch center said none of the accidents were serious and no injuries were reported.

Two airplane flights, meanwhile, were diverted from Bert Mooney Airport because of limited visibility that prevented pilots from landing in Butte.

A Horizon Airlines flight from Seattle was scheduled to land at 12:55 p.m., but continued to another airport when visibility fell below 3 miles, said airport manager Rick Griffith.

A SkyWest airplane circled the Butte area for more than 45 minutes waiting for the weather to clear after it could not make its scheduled 2:30 p.m. landing in Butte.

The flight, which originated in Salt Lake City, went on to Helena where passengers were bused to Butte, Griffith said.

Flights were rescheduled for passengers waiting on the ground to catch the SkyWest flight back to Salt Lake City, he said.

The Butte region received between 2½ to 6 inches of accumulation as of Monday afternoon, according to Crystal Lake of the Montana National Weather Service in Missoula. Overnight temperatures hit a low of 22 degrees Fahrenheit late Sunday, and went just above freezing at 34 degrees Fahrenheit for the high on Monday.

The rest of the week isn’t expected to be as snowy, Lake said.

“There will be some accumulation (of snow) overnight, but nothing like on Monday morning,” Lake said.

— Standard Staff