Winter already? All-time snow records fall in Spokane; Cascades get first snow, too

Ground crews working for the State of Montana blow snow from the sidewalks around the Original Governor's Mansion Wednesday Dec. 4, 2013 in Helena, Montana. Helena and the rest of the state prepare for a long and cold weather pattern that will see the temperatures barely make it to the single digits and have highs in the negatives toward the end of the week. less Ground crews working for the State of Montana blow snow from the sidewalks around the Original Governor's Mansion Wednesday Dec. 4, 2013 in Helena, Montana. Helena and the rest of the state prepare for a long ... more Photo: EW, AP Photo: EW, AP Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Winter already? All-time snow records fall in Spokane; Cascades get first snow, too 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

SPOKANE, Wash. -- What month is this?

While temperatures dropped into the 30s and 40s around Western Washington -- Olympia had their inaugural freeze of the year at 32 degrees Monday morning -- it went to downright surreal in parts of Eastern Washington.

As a chilly weather system dropped down from Alaska, that area saw historic snows stretching from the Spokane Valley into Montana.

Saturday, Spokane Airport received 1.9 inches of snow which made it the snowiest September day in the city's history and first measurable September snow in 93 years, according to the National Weather Service.

On Sunday, they tied for their second-snowiest September day in their history with an additional 1.4 inches of snow.

Forget September, with 3.3 inches of seasonal snow already in the books, they're far ahead of even an end of October pace! According to UW research meteorologist Mark Albright, the 3 inches on the ground Sunday was tied for the second-most ever recorded on the ground -- before Oct. 31! The other two dates were 5.9 inches on Oct. 22, 1957 and 3.3 inches on Oct. 25, 1975.

It was even crazier farther east into Idaho and especially Montana, where the storm was bringing heavy, wet snow and high winds that closed roads, downed trees and caused scattered power outages.

Some locations in Montana recorded 2 feet in the mountains while Great Falls had 14 inches of snow, prompting Montana Gov. Steve Bullock to declare an emergency, allowing the state to mobilize resources to help affected areas.

Major interstates and highways remained open, but snow and ice covered many stretches of roadway in western Montana.

Closer to home, the Cascades and Olympics had their first real snowfall of the season as well. Stevens Pass reported around 3-6 inches of snow with the storm, sending people flocking to the mountains to get an early taste of winter.

"I wanted to get a couple turns in. It's just kind of first snow of the season," said Alison Kahn, who made a few runs at Stevens Pass ski resort. "It's a little sticky, super heavy, and it takes some trees and shrubs along with you as you go."

"This is early. You never get early snow like this. It's been a long, long time," added Gail Campbell of Bremerton. "The fact that it's here, we'll see if it's a short winter or long winter. I don't know. But, it's fun that it's here this early."

Heavy snowfall combined with rock falls in the Olympics prompted the National Park Service to close access to Hurricane Ridge Monday.

A Frost Advisory was issued for the South Sound early Monday morning as temps briefly dipped near the freezing mark, but for much of Western Washington it was just a reminder that summer was so 10 days ago. Sunshine will remain in the forecast through much of the upcoming week but mostly clear skies at night will allow our chilly morning streak to continue.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This article first appeared on KOMO NEWS.