蒙大拿州发布冬季风暴预警：山区降雪最高14英寸 阵风40英里/时 周末出行危险
美国国家气象局10月10日（周六）向蒙大拿州发布冬季风暴预警：本周末该州多处山区将迎来今秋首场强降雪，局部降雪量最高可达14英寸（约35.6厘米），阵风风速最高40英里/时（约64公里/时），山区道路通行将变得危险。
预警覆盖大贝尔特山脉、布里杰山脉和卡斯尔山脉，包括博兹曼山口一带，自周六晚6点持续至周一早6点。小贝尔特、Highwood、Snowy、Judith、Elkhorn和Boulder等山脉也在预警范围内，降雪量与风速相近。气象局预计将出现“又重又湿的大雪”，总降雪量在6至14英寸之间。
气象局提醒，降雪量在草地与路面之间“差异巨大”，尤其是在低海拔地区——山区下一英尺的雪，不代表附近城镇会下同样多的雪。本周早些时候，气象学家克里斯·托默（Chris Tomer）告诉滑雪媒体POWDER，蒙大拿州可能迎来这波西部风暴系统中最冷的天气和最大的降雪。
这场风暴原本让滑雪爱好者兴奋，但如今已演变为可能扰乱周末出行的天气事件。与此同时，热带风暴“蕾切尔”（Rachel）的水汽叠加一股冷锋，将从蒙大拿一路向南给南加州和亚利桑那带来大范围降雨，持续至周日，洛杉矶、凤凰城和盐湖城的机场与州际公路都可能出现延误。气象部门建议周末有出行计划的民众密切关注最新预报，山区路段尽量避开夜间行车。
Montana Under Winter Storm Warning: Up to 14 Inches of Snow, 40-mph Gusts Threaten Weekend Mountain Travel
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Montana on Saturday, October 10, as the state braces for its first major snowfall of the fall season. Up to 14 inches (35.6 cm) of snow and wind gusts reaching 40 mph (64 km/h) could make travel dangerous across mountain areas through the weekend.
The warning covers the Big Belt, Bridger and Castle Mountains, including Bozeman Pass, from 6 p.m. Saturday until 6 a.m. Monday. The Little Belt, Highwood, Snowy, Judith, Elkhorn and Boulder Mountains face similar accumulations and gusts. Forecasters expect heavy, wet snow with total accumulations of 6 to 14 inches.
The Weather Service cautions that snowfall amounts will vary drastically from grassy surfaces to roadways, particularly at lower elevations — a foot of mountain snow does not mean nearby towns will see the same. Earlier this week, meteorologist Chris Tomer told POWDER that Montana could see the coldest conditions and the most snowfall from the developing Western storm system.
What began as an exciting forecast for skiers has become a potentially disruptive storm for weekend travelers. Meanwhile, moisture from Tropical Storm Rachel combined with an approaching front will bring widespread showers from Montana to Southern California and Arizona through Sunday, threatening travel delays at airports and on interstates in Los Angeles, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Officials urge travelers to monitor forecasts closely and avoid mountain roads at night where possible.
图片来源：图：蒙大拿州奇夫约瑟夫垭口一带的深厚积雪。摄影：美国林务局北区，公有领域，来源：Wikimedia Commons
