A LAKE WIND ADVISORY is in effect for Fort Peck Lake until 9pm Wednesday.
It has been windy again today with peak wind gusts between 35 and 55 mph, but the wind will diminish this evening and then there will just be a light breeze around overnight. The one exception will be along the Rocky Mountain Front where it will continue to be a bit breezy for the first half of tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. There will also continue to be some scattered light rain showers around this evening along the eastern half of the Hi-Line. We are then going to have mostly clear skies and mainly dry conditions tonight. It is also going to be cool again tonight as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations.
Tomorrow will feature the best weather of the next week, so definitely spend some time outdoors if you can! We are going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies, dry conditions, and much warmer temperatures tomorrow as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s in most locations. The wind will also be significantly weaker tomorrow as there is just going to be a little breeze around (sustained wind speeds between 5 and 20 mph).
On Friday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a few isolated rain and mountain snow showers around along the Divide during the morning and in central Montana during the evening. It is also going to be windy on Friday along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 35 mph, and it is going to be breezy on Friday east of the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. Mild temperatures are also expected again on Friday as highs are going to be in the 60s and low to mid 70s in most locations, with the warmest temperatures in northeastern Montana.
A spring storm will then bring cooler and wetter weather to the state this weekend. On Saturday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain and mountain snow showers around, especially in central Montana and especially during the afternoon/evening. There are then going to be some areas of snow/rain around in the lower elevations Saturday night and Sunday morning, with scattered snow/graupel/rain showers around Sunday afternoon/evening as this storm begins to depart our area. In the mountains, periods of snow are likely Saturday night and Sunday.
There is still some uncertainty with this storm system in regards to how much precipitation will fall, how widespread the precipitation will be, and how much of the precipitation will fall as snow vs. rain. Right now, it looks like some of the lower elevations near the mountains, like Lewistown and Stanford, will receive a few inches of snow. Out across the plains, light snow accumulations of a coating to a couple inches are possible, but a lot of locations (especially east of I-15) will likely receive little to no snow accumulation. In the mountains, several inches of snow will likely accumulate this weekend, which means travel will be slick at times at and above mountain pass level.
The temperatures will also cool down a lot this weekend as highs are going to be in the 50s and low to mid 60s on Saturday and the 40s and low 50s on Sunday. There is also going to be a cool breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. We are then going to have gusty winds around on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. The wind this weekend will be coming out of the west or northwest in most locations.
On Monday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions as an upper-level ridge begins to build back into the area. Partly to mostly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as this upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. The temperatures are also going to warm back up early next week as highs are going to be in the 50s on Monday and the 60s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Breezy conditions are also expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
