Winter asserts itself

Mother Nature reminded locals who is boss last week as temperatures dropped and the sky opened to deliver several inches of snow.

After relatively mild temperatures of 44 on Wednesday that sent flooding through town and a high of 42 earlier in the day Thursday, the National Weather Service warned Thursday of a mid-afternoon “flash freeze” that would glaze streets the snowmelt had turned to waterways. Local road crews worked to haul away piles of snow from earlier in the week before the storm hit. The sheriff’s office issued an alert advising of the impending change.

Jefferson High dismissed and sent students home at 1 p.m. and Boulder Elementary did the same at 1:15 p.m. In Montana City, classes continued, but parent teacher conferences for the evening were canceled.