The entire northwest is gearing up for what weather forecasters are calling the most significant storm of the season. In Madison County residents should be prepared for six to 10 inches of snow in the valleys and up to two feet in the mountains.

The storm will bring significant moisture into the region from the Pacific Ocean, said Bob Hoenisch with the National Weather Service in Great Falls.

This moisture will mix with an arctic air mass dropping out of Canada and it all should begin to impact the area Wednesday.

Along with the snow, temperatures will drop below freezing and north winds should blow from 20 to 30 mph with gust up to 40 mph.

“I think this will be one of the more significant storms of the season,” Hoenisch said.

The storm will impact all of the northwest and deposit gobs of snow in the mountains all the way down through Utah.

In Madison County, snow should start Wednesday and continue on through the night, tapering off Thursday, he said.

Wind chills over this time period could be 20 degrees below zero, Hoenisch said.

The coldest temperatures will be Friday morning, but by Friday afternoon the system will begin to move off and temperatures will warm over the weekend to more seasonal levels.

Travel conditions all over the state will be rough Wednesday and Thursday as blowing and drifting snow will make visibility difficult.

The Beaverhead Valley around Dillon could miss some of the snow due to the direction of the storm and the protection of the mountains, Hoenisch said.

As the storm hits, check back to www.madisoniannews.com for updates.