A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and some adjacent locations from 12pm Tuesday until 5pm Wednesday.
There is going to be some scattered light snow around this evening and tonight, especially before midnight, as a weak disturbance moves southward through our area. Most locations will receive less than an inch of snow, but the mountains in central Montana and locations near these mountains may receive a couple inches of snow. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies tonight with areas of fog developing later on. It is also going to be cold tonight as lows are going to be in the -0s, 0s, and 10s in most spots, with the coldest temperatures along the Hi-Line.
For tomorrow, we are going to have decreasing clouds with areas of fog around, especially during the morning. Where the fog doesn’t linger all day is where we will clear out and see lots of sunshine! Some warmer air will also begin to arrive tomorrow as highs will be in the 20s and low to mid 30s (teens in northeastern Montana).
We are also going to have increasing wind tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front, and the wind will begin to increase later on tomorrow in and around Cascade County. Strong winds (gusts up to 75 mph) are then expected tomorrow night and Wednesday morning along and near the Rocky Mountain Front. Ground blizzard conditions due to blowing and drifting snow are possible due to this strong wind, which will create difficult travel conditions and may lead to some road closures. As we go through Wednesday, the wind will gradually subside along the Rocky Mountain Front. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, we are going to have increasing wind tomorrow night with widespread gusty winds around on Wednesday as gusts over 40 mph are possible. This wind will cause there to be some areas of blowing and drifting snow around, especially along the MT-200 highway corridor.
There are then going to be areas of precipitation around on Wednesday, especially during the afternoon and evening, and Wednesday night as another disturbance impacts our area. This precipitation will mostly be in the form of snow, but some rain may mix in with the snow at times in north-central Montana. Snow accumulations with this disturbance will be light in north-central Montana with most areas receiving a dusting-2” of snow. Around Helena, 1-3” of snow is expected, and in the mountains, 4-8” of snow is expected. It is also going to be warmer on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 30s in most locations.
Beautiful weather is then expected on Thursday as we are going to have mostly sunny skies, mainly dry conditions, less wind, and seasonable temperatures as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations.
There is then going to be some more precipitation around on Friday and Saturday, generally from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, as yet another disturbance passes through our area. Precipitation with this disturbance may start out as rain or a rain/snow mix, but will eventually switchover to snow. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on these two days.
Gusty winds are also expected on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. It is then going to be a little breezy on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. We are also going to have near to above average temperatures on these two days as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s in most locations, with Friday being the warmer day.
Another disturbance will then bring scattered areas of light snow to our area on Sunday. A few lingering snow showers are then possible on Monday as this disturbance leaves our area. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Sunday and partly cloudy skies on Monday. Seasonable temperatures are also expected on these two days as highs are going to be in the 20s and low 30s.
