As of Feb. 19, 2018 Great Falls has received 77.4 inches of snow throughout the 2017-18 winter and there is still more on the forecast for the next week.

Great Falls hasn’t hit a new record for total snowfall, but the town did tie with the 2011 record of 32.6 inches of snowfall in February alone.

Great Falls isn’t the only city meeting previously set records and creating new ones. East Glacier has received 234.5 inches of snowfall, which is 80 inches more than its “average” year. The forecast for Great Falls estimates that we will receive another four inches of snowfall maximum before acquiring a few warmer, dry days after March 4.

They are behind Great Falls with only 70 inches in the month of February.

All of this snow may be picturesque, but it is also dangerous. Highway 89 was closed in certain stretches for three days, from Feb. 24-27, high winds created snow drifts, which covered the highway and decreased visibility. According to The Great Falls Tribune, many snow removal companies can’t keep up with the high demand for snow removal. This is leading to the closing of highway stretches to prevent accidents over the snow drifts.

Not only are travelers struggling, but some families on the Blackfeet Reservation have been snowed into their homes for weeks and are beginning to worry about how much longer necessities, like food and water, will last.