LOS ANGELES, Feb. 20 (Xinhua) -- A big snow storm hit the western U.S. state of Montana, bringing temperatures down to record lows in many areas Tuesday.

Media reports said residents woke up Tuesday morning to face some of the lowest temperatures in the United States, as low as minus 34.4 degrees celsius in some communities, compared to minus 10 degrees celsius in Fairbanks of Alaska, some 190 km south of the Arctic Circle.

In West Yellowstone, the temperature dropped to minus 38.9 degrees celsius, breaking the record low of minus 18.9 degrees celsius on Feb. 20, 2012.

Cut Bank, a town of 3,000 in east Montana, reported a temperature of minus 36.4 degrees celsius early Tuesday morning, lower than the local record of minus 34.4 degrees celsius on the same day in 1936.

Strong winds and heavy snow resulted in poor visibility and deep snow drifts across the roadways. The authorities issued travel advisories for highway driving, asking people to travel only in case of emergencies.

According to the National Weather Service, the snowfall in Montana, starting from July 2017, totaled 193 cm, some 112 cm more than the normal level in a snow year.