A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Highwood and Little Belt mountains until 11pm Friday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of western and central Montana until 8pm/11pm Friday.
There are going to continue to be some scattered snow showers around this evening and tonight, especially in the mountains and especially before midnight, as a disturbance leaves our area. In the mountains and in locations around the mountains, up to 3” of new snow accumulation is possible tonight. Everywhere else, up to an inch of new snow accumulation is possible tonight, but most locations will receive little to no new snow accumulation. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies tonight with patchy fog around.
Gusty winds east of I-15 and along the Hi-Line will gradually subside from west to east as the night goes on, but there will continue to be some blowing and drifting snow around due to this wind through at least the first half of tonight, especially in Fergus County and Judith Basin County, so be prepared for whiteout conditions in some areas. It is also going to be cold tonight as lows are going to be in the single digits and low to mid teens.
For tomorrow, we are going to have decreasing clouds, resulting in lots of sunshine for the afternoon and evening. A stray snow shower is possible tomorrow morning, but most locations will be dry. There is also only going to be a little breeze around tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. Tomorrow is also going to be the coldest day of the next week as highs are only going to be in the 20s and upper teens. Patchy fog is also possible tomorrow morning.
On Sunday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies (more clouds during the morning and more sun during the afternoon/evening) with patchy areas of fog around during the morning. It is also going to be a little warmer on Sunday than it is going to be tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s. There is also going to be a breeze around on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, with the strongest wind along the Rocky Mountain Front.
We are then going to have really nice weather from Monday through Thursday of next week as we are going to have lots of sunshine and dry conditions as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. There are also going to be inversions in the valleys next week, so stagnant air, low-level stratus clouds, and areas of fog are expected in western Montana. Right now, it is unclear how strong the inversion will be in Helena, but some fog is possible next week.
We are also going to have near to above average temperatures next week as highs are going to be in the 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy in the mountains and plains next week as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, gusty winds are expected next week as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. In the valleys, there is going to be little to no wind next week.
On Friday, we are going to have partly to mostly sunny skies with a slight chance of snow showers as a disturbance begins to approach our area. Colder and snowier weather is then expected for the beginning of February (which starts next weekend!).
