A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of western Montana until 11am Tuesday. Slippery road conditions due to freezing rain are expected.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for western Glacier County and western Pondera County from 8am Tuesday until 11am Wednesday. 10 to 20 inches of snow accumulation is expected above pass level. Below pass level, up to 6 inches of snow accumulation and up to .1” of ice accumulation is possible.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for portions of southwestern Montana from 12am Tuesday until 12am Wednesday. 2 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected. There are also going to be widespread areas of blowing and drifting snow around.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for western/central Glacier County and western/central Pondera County until 2am Tuesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 40 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 80 mph are going to be possible at times.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for the Madison River Valley, including Ennis, from 12am until 11pm Tuesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 35 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 65 mph are going to be possible at times.
We are going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies tonight with some scattered showers around, generally after midnight, as a storm system begins to approach our area. There are then going to be scattered showers around tomorrow, especially during the morning, as this storm system passes through our area. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies tomorrow.
In the lower elevations, generally rain is expected, but there will be some pockets of freezing rain, sleet, and/or snow, especially along the Hi-Line and near the mountains, where temperatures will be a little bit colder. Ice accumulation of up to .1” is possible, and this ice will create slick road conditions, so please be careful when traveling. Also, little to no snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations.
In the mountains, primarily snow is expected, but there will be some pockets of freezing rain, sleet, and/or rain, especially around/below mountain pass level. Up to .1” of ice accumulation is possible, and a few inches of snow accumulation is possible in most mountain ranges, although up to 20 inches of snow accumulation is possible in Glacier National Park.
It is also going to be mild tonight as lows in many locations are going to be in the 30s, although it will be a little bit colder in northeastern Montana as lows are going to be in the 20s. Mild temperatures are also in the forecast for tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 30s and 40s, with the coldest temperatures in the mountains and along the Hi-Line.
It is also going to be very windy early on tonight along the northern half of the Rocky Mountain Front as wind gusts up to 80 mph are going to be possible at times. Elsewhere, it is going to be breezy tonight as wind gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times. The good news though is that the wind is going to gradually get weaker as the night goes on. Breezy conditions are then expected again tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
There are then going to be some scattered snow and rain showers around on Wednesday, especially in north-central Montana, as a disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low 40s. Gusty winds are also expected on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
Mostly sunny skies and dry conditions are then expected on Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. We are then going to have a chance to see some snow and rain showers on Friday, especially around the Helena area, as another disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be breezy and chilly on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions. The temperatures are also going to cool down some this weekend as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s on Saturday and the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s on Sunday. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Partly cloudy skies, dry conditions, and chilly temperatures (highs in the 20s and low 30s) are then expected on Monday.