Blinding Snow, Fierce Winds Sock Montana

A winter storm whipped up blinding clouds of snow Saturday in Montana.

A cold front from Canada brought heavy snow and 40-m.p.h. winds to the state, reducing visibility to near zero in Great Falls and the surrounding Flathead Valley area, the National Weather Service said. Up to four inches of snow was expected as the storm moved south.

Forecasters were predicting heavy snowfall for the Lake Superior region in Michigan, and warnings of gale-force winds were posted for that area and Lake Huron.

Snow advisories were posted across the southeast highlands of Idaho and the northern and central mountains of Colorado.

Snow fell Saturday afternoon over southeast Idaho, Wyoming, northern Montana, parts of the Dakotas and northern Nebraska.

Elsewhere, dense fog developed over much of the southern Great Plains, reducing visibility to less than a quarter of a mile in some areas of Texas and Arkansas, the weather service said. Motorists were advised to drive with caution.

Fog also shrouded northern and western Illinois, reducing visibility to 100 feet in low lying areas and near rivers.