Unprecedented September snowstorm takes over bride and groom's fall wedding

ByMAX GOLEMBO ABCNews logo
Monday, September 30, 2019

A bride and groom expecting colorful fall foliage as the background of their wedding day were greeted by an unexpected and unprecedented September snowstorm.

For the first time in recorded history, it snowed in Spokane, Washington, on Sept. 28 -- which was also the earliest snowfall in nearly 100 years in the city.

Wedding photographer Jaime Fletcher said she was headed up to Mount Spokane for the ceremony when the snow started to fall.

"It was just crazy how fast it transitioned from really wet to sticking," she told ABC News. "It was a full-blown blizzard when we got there."

The wedding was forced to make a last-minute move inside, she said, but the scene was beautiful and the couple was "in the best spirits."

"This could've ruined anybody's day," Fletcher said. "They were super happy, they were having so much fun all day... they just kept staying, 'We just want to get married,' and I think that's really special."

Meanwhile, in Montana, Gov. Steve Bullock declared a winter storm emergency on Sunday after the "unprecedented" storm hit.

Browning, Montana, received a whopping 48 inches of snow.

In Great Falls, Montana, 19.3 inches of snow fell over the last two days, making it the region's second snowiest two days ever recorded at any time of the year -- even for the winter months.

Winds gusted to 56 mph in Montana, creating blizzard-like conditions.

"Montanans should heed all warnings from state and local officials, travel safely, and be cautious during this time," Bullock said in a statement.

Now that the winter storm is over, this same storm system is moving east, bringing a threat of flooding, flash flooding and severe storms.

States from New Mexico to Wisconsin are under flood or flash flood watch. Some areas could see up to 5 inches of rain.

As a snow hits the west, the east is seeing record high temperatures.

On Sunday, record highs of 93 degrees Fahrenheit were reported in Atlanta, with 97 degrees in Birmingham, Alabama, and 98 degrees in Montgomery, Alabama.

The heat will move north by Wednesday bringing what could be record highs to New York City, Philadelphia and the District of Columbia.

Temperatures could reach 96 degrees in D.C. and 90 degrees in New York on Wednesday.

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