Good morning! Arctic cold remains the big story as we kick off our Wednesday. A weather station located 27 miles north of Havre plummeted to a frigid -42° early this morning. Many areas along the Hi-Line saw temperatures drop into the -30s and -20s. Vaughn reached -22°, and Great Falls Airport recorded -17°. Despite the cold, Wednesday is going to feature plentiful sunshine and dry conditions, as an arctic high pressure system influences our weather. Daytime highs will be in the upper 0s and lower 10s in central Montana, low to mid 0s on the Hi-Line, and -0s in northeastern Montana.
The wind is set to strengthen throughout the day, with a sustained southwest wind between 15-30 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front and breezy conditions of 10-25 mph developing for portions of the plains. This wind will continue into the nighttime hours, leading to blowing and drifting snow.
Thursday morning will be frigid again, with temperatures dropping into the -10s and -0s, and wind chills in the -30s, -20s, and -10s. Frostbite can occur on exposed skin within 20-30 minutes at these temperatures/wind chills. Keep pets indoors, open your cabinets, and let faucets drip to prevent freezing. However, temperatures will warm throughout the day, with daytime highs reaching the upper 0s and lower 10s on the Hi-Line, and mid 10s to lower 20s in central Montana. Increasing clouds during the afternoon ahead of the next weather system headed towards central Montana.
Areas of light snow will develop late Thursday night and into Friday morning. It looks like most of the lower elevations in central Montana will receive 1-4" of snow, while the Hi-Line will see a light dusting-2". Very cold temperatures will return on Friday, with daytime highs only reaching the single digits.
A few snow showers will linger into Saturday, accompanied by mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures will remain frigid, with daytime highs in the 0s in north-central Montana and upper 10s to lower 20s around Helena.
The Arctic air will retreat by Sunday as a high pressure ridge builds over the area. Warmer temperatures are expected for most of us on Sunday and Monday, with daytime highs in the 0s for the Hi-Line east of Havre, mid 10s to lower 20s for the Hi-Line west of Havre, and mid 20s to lower 30s for central Montana.
It looks like the weather will turn active early next week, as multiple systems traverse central Montana. This will bring several rounds of snow from Sunday morning through Tuesday afternoon. Heavier snow totals are likely in the mountain ranges of central Montana, with light to moderate snow expected in the lower elevations.
