Snowed in: 4 feet cut off Montana town, roads

updated 3:47 p.m. ET April 29, 2009

HELENA, Mont. - A storm dumped as much as 4 feet of snow on northwest Montana and piled it in drifts 12 feet high, blocking major highways Wednesday and isolating an entire town.

Many schools were closed in the area along the Rocky Mountain Front.

Officials said all roads in and out of the town of Browning — just east of Glacier National Park — were closed Wednesday.

A foot of snow fell in Browning during the night, bringing the total since the storm started Monday to 4 feet, the National Weather Service said.

"Getting out of my door to the street, (the snow) was up to my waist," Browning Schools Superintendent Mary Johnson said Wednesday. "This is by far the worst (storm) we've had in several winters and it's still snowing."

Johnny Noe, co-owner of the St. Mary Lodge in Glacier National Park, reported 5 feet of snow with 12-foot drifts.

"We were getting about 2 inches an hour. It was just pounding, pounding, pounding," Noe told the Great Falls Tribune on Wednesday.

Farther east, the National Weather Service said 2 feet of snow had fallen near Cut Bank.

The Montana Department of Transportation said Interstate 15 was closed for about 75 miles from near Great Falls to near Shelby, along with several other highways in the region.

Weather service meteorologist Jonathan Suk said in Great Falls that the heavy snow was produced by moist air coming in from the Oregon coast and colliding with cold air flowing south out of Canada.

The Montana Highway Patrol said icy roads were blamed for two traffic deaths Tuesday.

More from msnbc.com Red Tape: Forget the package: At stores, size does matter Great Recession spawns crop of buzzwords Is your bank in trouble? More report bad loans Chaos and confusion - another day in Kabul When officials reject stimulus funds, sparks fly Send us your holiday pictures to troops Scoop: Tiger and wife headed for permanent split

MORE FROM WEATHER

Weather Section Front

South sees heavy rain, school closures Snow sticks to energy-saving stoplights Little hope climbers alive, rescuers say Central U.S. braces for cold snap   Watch 3-day national forecast 3 dead after cyclone hits Fiji Calif. residents return home after storm Cloud seeding for rain is a growth area in U.S.   Weather Section Front   Add Weather headlines to your news reader: