Montana is blanketed in record-breaking snow and it's not even October yet

Record amounts of snow have fallen in parts of Montana over the past few days -- and it's only September.

Great Falls, Montana, got 9.7 inches of snow Saturday, the highest one-day September snow amount for that city, followed by 9.6 inches Sunday, the second highest, the National Weather Service said.

But even higher amounts fell in other areas of Montana from Friday into Monday morning. Browning got a whopping 4 feet, according to the weather service. The Dupuyer area got 37 inches, and the Heart Butte area saw 34 inches.

"This has never happened, ever" in September, said Ray Greely with the weather service in Great Falls.

Great Falls' two-day accumulation of 19.3 inches of snow is the second highest recorded in that city for any time of the year, the weather service said, behind the 24.2 inches from April 27-28, 2009.

Temperatures in the Great Falls area are forecast to reach record or near-record lows Monday night, the weather service said.

"With an unprecedented winter storm throwing our state a surprise in September, state and local governments are working closely together to protect the health and safety of Montanans and our top priority is making sure that happens," Bullock said.

Link: https://www.cnn.com/2019/09/29/us/september-snow-rockies-sunday-wxc/index.html