An EXTREME COLD WARNING is in effect for a lot of north-central Montana and all of northeastern Montana until 11am/12pm Wednesday.
A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front, portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County, and portions of south-central and southeastern Montana until 12pm Wednesday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of central and north-central Montana until 5am/11am Tuesday.
There is going to continue to be light to moderate snow around this evening and tonight in central Montana and in southern/western portions of north-central Montana as a storm system continues to impact our area. There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around the Helena area tomorrow morning, but this snow will taper off as the morning goes on, with just a few lingering snow showers around during the afternoon and evening. In north-central Montana, there are going to be some isolated snow showers around tomorrow morning. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies tomorrow morning, and decreasing clouds tomorrow afternoon/evening.
A lot of north-central Montana will receive <1.5” of additional snow accumulation, but up to 5” of additional snow accumulation is possible in central Montana, including around Helena, with isolated spots in the mountains receiving up to 6” of additional snow. Roads will be slick/snow-covered throughout a lot of central and north-central Montana tonight and tomorrow morning, so please be careful when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
It is also going to be bitterly cold in north-central Montana through Wednesday morning. Along the Hi-Line, lows tonight and tomorrow night are going to be in the -20s and -30s. South of the Hi-Line, lows are going to be in the -10s and -20s tonight and tomorrow night. Around Helena, lows are going to be in the -0s and -10s tonight and the -0s and -10s tomorrow night. Wind chills will be even worse as wind chills are going to be in the -30s, -40s, and -50s along the Hi-Line, the -10s, -20s, and -30s south of the Hi-Line, and the -0s, -10s, and -20s around Helena. Tomorrow is also going to be the coldest day of the next week as highs are only going to be in the -0s, 0s, and low 10s around Helena and the -0s and -10s in north-central Montana. It is also going to be a bit breezy tonight in portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Due to this extreme cold and poor road conditions, multiple school districts have announced changes to their school schedule for Tuesday, February 18, 2025, and these changes can be found here: https://www.krtv.com/weather/school-delays-closures-tuesday-february-18-2025
On Wednesday, we are going to have increasing clouds with a little snow possible around Helena and along the Rocky Mountain Front during the evening as the next disturbance begins to approach our area. It is also going to be a little warmer on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 0s and -0s in north-central Montana and the teens and 20s in central Montana. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday in eastern portions of north-central Montana and along the Hi-Line as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Thursday with mostly dry conditions in north-central Montana and scattered snow around Helena during the morning as a warm front passes through our area. It is also going to be a lot warmer on Thursday as highs are going to be in the 20s and 30s (teens in northeastern Montana). There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Significantly warmer temperatures are then expected Friday and this weekend as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s on Friday and the 40s and upper 30s this weekend. These warm temperatures are going to be accompanied by a lot of wind though. On Friday, it is going to be breezy as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. It is then going to be windy this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. This wind will cause there to be some blowing and drifting snow in the higher elevations. The Helena Valley will see little to no wind.
We are also going to have partly to mostly sunny skies and dry conditions on Friday and Saturday. We are then going to have mostly cloudy skies on Sunday with some isolated rain and snow showers around, generally in the mountains, as a disturbance passes through our area.
