We are going to have decreasing clouds tonight with a few scattered snow showers around, mainly before midnight. A coating to an inch or two of new snow accumulation is possible in the mountains, while little to no new snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations. It is also going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s, and it will be breezy tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front.
Tomorrow will be a beautiful day as we are going to have lots of sunshine (just some high-level cloudiness around during the afternoon and evening) and dry conditions as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. It is also going to be warmer tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s. There is also going to be a breeze around again tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, with the strongest wind along the Rocky Mountain Front. The Helena Valley will have little wind tomorrow though. Tomorrow is also the last day of winter as spring begins at 3:01am MDT on Thursday!
Widespread gusty to strong winds are expected Thursday, Friday, and this weekend. Across the plains, sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 40 mph, and wind gusts over 60 mph are possible. In the Helena Valley, gusty winds are expected on Thursday and Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and it will be a bit breezy on Friday and Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Thursday, there are going to be scattered snow showers around Helena, especially during the morning, and there are going to be a few rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana, generally in the mountains and in locations east of I-15, as a disturbance passes through our area. In the mountains, 1-6” of snow accumulation is expected on Thursday, which will create slick travel at and above mountain pass level. In the lower elevations, most locations will receive no snow accumulation, but isolated locations in central Montana may receive a coating to an inch of snow accumulation. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Thursday.
Friday will then be mostly dry with partly to mostly cloudy skies as we are going to be in between disturbances. Snow showers are then likely around Helena on Saturday, especially during the morning, and there are going to be scattered rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana on Saturday, especially during the PM hours, as another disturbance passes through our area. A few more rain and snow showers are then possible on Sunday, generally in the mountains. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies this weekend.
Seasonable temperatures are also expected from Thursday through Sunday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s in most locations. A big warm-up is then forecasted for next week as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s on Monday and the 60s on Tuesday. Some spots may then get into the 70s on Wednesday.
We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Monday with a few rain showers around. It is then going to be partly cloudy and dry on Tuesday. It is also going to be windy again on Monday, but weaker wind will return for Tuesday!
