A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for portions of the Hi-Line from 7pm Saturday until 12pm Thursday. Wind chills as low as 30 below to 45 below zero are possible.
TEMPERATURES: The COLD is going to be the big story over the next week. On Saturday, it is going to be colder than it was on Friday as highs are going to be in the teens and 20s. Bitter cold temperatures are then expected from Sunday through Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 0s, -0s, and -10s, with Wednesday being the coldest day. At night, from Saturday night through Wednesday night, lows are going to be in the -0s, -10s, and -20s, with Wednesday night being the coldest night. For tonight, it is just going to be chilly as lows are going to be in the teens in many locations.
Dangerous wind chills are also expected from Saturday evening through Thursday morning as wind chills are going to be below zero the entire time, and may get as low as 45 below zero, especially along the Hi-Line. Also, widespread wind chills in the -20s and -30s are expected from Tuesday night through Thursday morning. Thankfully, the wind will be on the lighter side during this arctic outbreak as sustained wind speeds are generally going to be between 5 and 15 mph.
For the end of next week, the temperatures are going to start to warm back up as highs on Thursday are going to be in the single digits and teens above zero, and on Friday, highs are going to be in the teens, 20s, and 30s above zero. Near to above average temperatures are then expected for Christmas weekend and the final week of December.
SNOW: Periods of snow are expected over the next week. Tonight, there are going to be a few scattered snow showers around, generally along the eastern half of the Hi-Line. There are then going to be scattered snow showers around tomorrow and tomorrow night, especially from tomorrow afternoon through the first half of tomorrow night, as a cold front passes through our area. A coating to 3 inches of snow accumulation is expected in most of north-central Montana by Sunday morning, with higher amounts (up to 5 inches) possible along the Rocky Mountain Front and in some locations near the Canadian border.
On Sunday, there are going to be a few scattered snow showers around as this cold front leaves our area. There are then going to be some scattered snow showers around on Monday, generally during the morning, as another disturbance passes through our area, and light snow accumulations are possible.
A storm system is then going to bring widespread light to moderate snow to our area for Tuesday and Wednesday, with the bulk of the snow falling between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning. Another storm system is then going to bring scattered areas of snow to our area for the second half of Thursday, Thursday night, and Friday. This storm system is also going to bring some warmer air into our area, so some rain may mix in with this snow in spots on Friday.
We are also going to have increasing clouds tomorrow, partly to mostly cloudy skies on Sunday, and mostly cloudy to overcast skies for most of next week.
Overall, the next week is going to be cold and snowy, so if possible, just try and hang out at home as road conditions are going to be less than ideal and it is going to feel really nasty outside! The good news though is that this arctic outbreak isn’t going to last too long as the warmest temperatures that we have had in weeks are expected Christmas weekend.
