A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for central/eastern Glacier County, central Pondera County, and western Toole County until 6am Thursday.
A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for a lot of western Montana, including the Rocky Mountain Front, from 8am/1pm/8pm Friday until 5pm Monday.
Along the Rocky Mountain Front and out to I-15, it is going to continue to be windy tonight as wind gusts over 60 mph are possible. It is also going to be gusty tonight in some areas east of I-15, especially in and around Cascade County, as wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible. In the valleys and in northeastern Montana, there will continue to be little to no wind tonight. We are also going to have mostly clear skies tonight with lows ranging from the single digits to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures in the valleys.
For tomorrow, we are going to have increasing clouds and mild temperatures as highs are going to be in the 40s and upper 30s in most locations. In the valleys, it will be cold again tomorrow as highs are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s. It is also going to be windy tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible, and it is going to be breezy/gusty in some other areas tomorrow (especially in and around Cascade County) as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
We are then going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies on Friday with isolated rain and snow showers around, generally in the mountains and along the Hi-Line, as a disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be windy on Friday along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and it is going to be breezy in some areas east of the Rocky Mountain Front on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. We are also going to have pleasant temperatures again on Friday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations.
On Saturday, we are going to have mostly cloudy skies with rain/snow likely around Helena, and we are going to have partly cloudy skies with some isolated rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana, generally in the mountains and along the Hi-Line, as another disturbance impacts our area. Saturday will also be our final day with above average temperatures as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations. We are also going to have gusty winds around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. Per usual, even stronger wind is expected along the Rocky Mountain Front as gusts up to 65 mph are possible. In the valleys, it will be a little breezy on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Snow will then develop as we go through Sunday, with areas of light to moderate snow around on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, as an atmospheric river sends a bunch of moisture to Montana. It is still too far out to talk about exact snow amounts, but a few to several inches of snow accumulation is possible in the lower elevations over these four days and feet of snow are possible in some of the mountains over these four days. Be prepared for difficult travel conditions throughout a good chunk of the state this weekend and next week.
It is also going to be significantly colder Sunday and next week as highs are going to be in the 0s, 10s, and low 20s on Sunday, and the -0s and 0s Monday through Wednesday, with lows in the -0s and -10s. There is also going to be a little breeze around on Sunday and Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
