After a few cooler days, temperatures will spike above average on Thursday afternoon, reaching the upper 50s to lower 60s. It will be sunny and gorgeous again, although an easterly breeze will develop in the afternoon, sustained between 10 and 18 mph. There is a small chance of a brief shower in the higher terrain near Helena.
On Friday, the wind will become stronger east of I-15, with sustained winds of 10 to 25 mph and gusts as high as 40 mph. Winds will be lighter west of I-15. Temperatures continue to rise, with highs reaching the low to mid 60s.
The warming trend continues into Saturday, with high temperatures climbing into the upper 60s and low to mid 70s. An unstable southwesterly flow aloft will bring increased cloud cover and scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening.
A system passes to the south on Sunday and Monday, bringing scattered rain showers and embedded thunderstorms. Temperatures will remain seasonably mild in the 60s and lower 70s on Sunday but will cool into the 50s on Monday. The system will exit quickly on Monday, leaving behind gusty winds.
We'll clear out and warm up on Tuesday, but another disturbance will bring more showers on Wednesday. Following that, we can expect some of the warmest temperatures of the year so far as we head into the first few days of May, with temperatures potentially reaching near 80° by Friday!
