A cloudy day is in store for most of the Treasure State today.
Clouds are rolling in ahead of some snow that will enter Western Montana today.
Snow will track through the Rocky Mountain Front by Tuesday afternoon into Wednesday.
A slight chance of snow exists for Central Montana, but any snow that falls in lower elevations in Central Montana won’t produce significant accumulation.
Snow accumulation through the Northern Rocky Mountain front will be 2-6 inches from East Glacier to Babb with accumulations as high as 8 inches in Marias Pass.
Ahead of the snow, a breeze picks up across the very northern part of the Rocky Mountain front into North Central Montana today.
Gusts really pick up Tuesday into Wednesday, and areas in and along the Rocky Mountain front with gusts up to 80 MPH possible by Wednesday afternoon.
The rest of Central Montana is expecting gusts up to 30-40 MPH Tuesday through Wednesday.
Snow falling in higher elevations and along the Rocky Mountain Front, coupled with high winds, could produce blizzard-like conditions.
A Winter Storm and High Wind Watch are in effect from Tuesday into Wednesday in those areas.
From the National Weather Service in Great Falls:
WINTER STORM WATCH:
URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Great Falls MT 324 AM MST Mon Dec 10 2018 MTZ009-110000- /O.NEW.KTFX.WS.A.0021.181212T0000Z-181212T1800Z/ Northern Rocky Mountain Front- Including Logan Pass, Marias Pass, Browning, and Heart Butte 324 AM MST Mon Dec 10 2018 ...WINTER STORM WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Blizzard conditions possible. Total snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches along and west of an East Glacier to Babb line, with 6 to 8 inches at Marias Pass, are possible. Winds could gust as high as 80 mph in wind favored areas. * WHERE...Northern Rocky Mountain Front. * WHEN...From Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning. * ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Travel could be very difficult. Widespread blowing snow could significantly reduce visibility. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A Winter Storm Watch for blizzard conditions means there is a potential for falling and/or blowing snow with strong winds and extremely poor visibilities. This can lead to whiteout conditions and make travel very dangerous.
HIGH WIND WATCH:
URGENT - WEATHER MESSAGE National Weather Service Great Falls MT 245 AM MST Mon Dec 10 2018 Default overview section MTZ009-010-048-110000- /O.NEW.KTFX.HW.A.0009.181211T1900Z-181212T1800Z/ Northern Rocky Mountain Front-Eastern Glacier- Southern Rocky Mountain Front- Including Logan Pass, Marias Pass, Browning, Heart Butte, Cut Bank, Bynum, Choteau, and Augusta 245 AM MST Mon Dec 10 2018 ...HIGH WIND WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING... The National Weather Service in Great Falls has issued a High Wind Watch, which is in effect from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning. * WINDS...Southwest 35 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph. Local wind gusts to 80 mph are possible in wind favored areas along the Rocky Mountain Front. * TIMING...Winds will begin to increase along the Rocky Mountain Front and over the immediate eastern plains Tuesday afternoon. These strong winds are then expected to peak during the evening hours on Tuesday and into the early morning hours on Wednesday, before slowly dissipating. * IMPACTS...Damaging winds could blow down trees and power lines. Some power outages are possible. Travel will be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles and light weight trailers. PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS... A High Wind Watch means there is the potential for a hazardous high wind event. Sustained winds of at least 40 mph, or gusts of 58 mph or stronger, may occur. Continue to monitor the latest forecasts.
