Good morning! A nice stretch of weather is ahead for the middle of the week, as an upper-level ridge will be in control of our weather. We can expect mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies, with warming temperatures through Thursday. Temperatures will reach the low to mid 30s today, the upper 30s to lower 40s on Wednesday, and the low to mid 40s on Thursday.
Winds will remain steady throughout the next several days, with another round of strong winds expected on Thursday. Wind gusts over 40 mph are possible east of the Rocky Mountain Front, while gusts exceeding 70 mph may occur along the Rocky Mountain Front and in the Cut Bank area.
A cold front will drop into the region Thursday night and into Friday. Light snow and gusty winds will accompany the cold front. By Saturday morning, light snow accumulations of a coating to 3 inches are possible in the lower elevations, with several inches expected in the mountains. Temperatures will drop from the 20s to the 10s and 0s through the day on Friday.
The most frigid air since last winter is expected to settle in for the weekend as highs will range from the -0s to the 10s and overnight lows could dip into the -0s, -10s, and possibly -20s. Although Montanans are accustomed to this kind of cold, it has been relatively mild this winter, so folks should prepare for the upcoming colder weather. Light snow showers may be present during the weekend, but it will otherwise be partly to mostly cloudy.
On Monday (MLK Day), temperatures will begin to rise into the teens under abundant sunshine. A warming trend will commence for the rest of the week, accompanied by breezy conditions.
