A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front out to I-15 and for portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County until 5am Saturday.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front out to I-15 and for portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County from 11pm Saturday until 11pm Sunday.
Our heatwave has arrived! In some locations, it was 65-75° warmer this afternoon than it was yesterday morning as highs today were in the 30s for a lot of us and lows yesterday morning were in the -20s and -30s. Along the eastern half of the Hi-Line, it was cold again today, but at least it was a lot warmer than it was yesterday as highs were in the single digits, teens, and low 20s above zero.
It is going to be warmer tonight than it was last night for everyone as lows are going to be in the -0s and 0s along the eastern half of the Hi-Line and the teens and 20s everywhere else. It is also going to be gusty tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and in Glacier County as gusts up to 50 mph are possible. Elsewhere, it is going to be a little breezy tonight, especially in and around Cascade County and Judith Basin County, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. There will also be some blowing/drifting snow around tonight due to this wind. We are also going to have mostly clear skies tonight with a few areas of fog around, especially in the river valleys.
For tomorrow, we are going to have partly to mostly sunny skies with a couple isolated rain/snow showers around during the evening (most stay dry). There are also going to be a few areas of fog around during the morning. It is also going to be mild tomorrow, at least compared to what it has been here of late, as highs are going to be in the upper 20s, 30s, and low 40s for everyone.
Windy conditions are also expected tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front as gusts up to 60 mph are possible and it is going to be gusty tomorrow around Cut Bank as gusts up to 45 mph are possible. There is also going to be a breeze around tomorrow in some areas east of the Rocky Mountain Front (especially in and around Cascade County and Judith Basin County) as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible. There is going to be some blowing and drifting snow around tomorrow due to this wind, and localized ground blizzard conditions are possible, especially in the East Glacier area, so use caution when driving.
It is then going to be extremely windy this weekend along the Rocky Mountain Front and in Glacier County as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 80 mph are possible. Elsewhere, it is going to be windy this weekend, especially Saturday night into Sunday, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible. In the Helena Valley, the wind will pick up a little bit as we head into Sunday with gusts up to 30 mph possible.
It is also going to be mild this weekend as highs are going to be in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s on Saturday, and the 40s and low 50s on Sunday. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions on Saturday. We are then going to have mostly cloudy skies on Sunday with some isolated rain and mountain snow showers around in north-central Montana, and some scattered rain and mountain snow around the Helena area, generally in locations west of I-15, as a disturbance passes through our area.
Above average temperatures will stick around for all of next week as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s on Monday and Thursday, and the 40s and upper 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is also going to continue to be windy on Monday and Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. It is then going to be breezy on Wednesday and Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
We are also going to have partly cloudy skies on Monday with a chance of rain/snow around the Helena area and a few isolated rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana. There is then going to be scattered lower elevation rain (possibly mixing in with snow in spots) and mountain snow around Monday night and Tuesday as a disturbance passes through our area. We are then going to have mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions on Wednesday and Thursday.
