A potent winter storm is expected to barrel into the valley Thursday into Friday, dumping an additional eight to 12 inches of snow in the valley and upwards of two feet across Marias Pass.

Places like East Glacier should also see a round of heavy snow. A storm earlier this winter dumped upwards of five feet on the small mountain town on Glacier Park’s east side.

Cold arctic air will collide with warm wet air from the Pacific as the arctic air slips over the Divide.

Thursday temperatures will be in the mid to high 20s, but will fall into the low teens and single digits by Thursday night, National Weather Service meteorologist Trent Smith said.

Friday temperatures should warm back up in the mid 30s. Saturday will see a break in th action until Saturday night and Sunday, when the valley will see a wintry mix of snow and rain, Smith noted.

The wet weather is expected to run right into next week.

This year to date at the Glacier Park International Airport, there has been 78.9 inches of snow, which is double what we see in a normal year.

The Flathead River snowpack is currently 109 percent of average and total precipitation is 126 percent of average.