WEATHER DISCUSSION: It will be another cold night with extremely cold wind chills for most of the region. Expect a mostly/partly cloudy night to start with decreasing clouds. North Central Montana, winds will be on the lighter side with gusts up to 20 mph. Further East, there will be gustier conditions, gusts up to 30 mph. Low temperatures will be below zero in the negative single digits and teens. Wind chills will make those temperatures feel more in the negative 20’s and 30’s, possibly as low as -40/-50 degrees.
Most of the region will be under a Cold Weather Advisory (light blue) because of these temperatures. Areas in northern Blaine and Hill county and Eastern portions of the state are favored for wind chills between -35 and -45, which has prompted the upgrade to an Extreme Cold Warning (dark blue) for tonight.
Looking to Monday, a pressure gradient across the Continental Divide will increase, increasing winds across the Rocky Mountain Front. This will help scour out the cold airmass. Cold prone areas such as Havre and adjacent areas are likely to remain cold through the day Monday. While temperatures begin to rebound back around average throughout the rest of the week starting on Tuesday, back in the 30’s for most of the area, the concern through most of this period will be high winds.
Locations around the Rocky Mountain Front will have High Wind Warnings issued that begin Monday night and will likely last until Tuesday or Wednesday. Gusts could reach up to 60 mph at times through this period. This is most likely why the temperatures will begin to warm up, especially as the high pressure pushes into the state.
The most likely next round of snowfall arrives late Thursday night, lasting into Saturday morning. Northerly upslope areas will be most favored for accumulating snow with this event.
