After rounds of snow and ice Friday into Saturday, the final week of November is beginning cold and quiet across the region. On Sunday, Great Falls recorded a high of only 18°, marking the first day this season that temperatures didn’t reach 20°. Several locations, including Havre and Cut Bank, experienced sub-zero temperatures Monday morning for the first time since March.
With high pressure building into Montana, fog has developed in southwest Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front. However, light southerly winds should help clear the fog this morning and bring some warming to areas south of Highway 200. Today's temperatures are expected to range from the teens for the Hi-Line, to the low to mid 20s in central Montana, and mid to upper 30s in the Helena area.
A Pacific low will move into southwest Montana on Tuesday, bringing snowfall to the mountains and light snow showers to the lower elevations. Snowfall totals of 1-3 inches in the higher elevations, with a dusting possible in the valleys. Despite the cold conditions affecting the Hi-Line, central Montana will experience a warmup, with highs reaching the upper 30s and low 40s.
Wednesday is expected to be mostly dry and chilly during the day, but a disturbance may bring light snowfall overnight. This could result in slick spots and potentially some black ice on Thanksgiving morning. Thanksgiving itself will be chilly, with highs around the 10s on the Hi-Line, low to mid 20s in central Montana, and mid 30s for the Helena area, along with possible flurries and light snow showers throughout the day.
Another disturbance is forecasted to pass through Thursday night into Friday, bringing light snowfall primarily to areas east of I-15. Following Thanksgiving, temperatures are expected to drop significantly, with high temperatures hovering in the 0s and 10s over the upcoming weekend.
