A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and adjacent plains from 8pm Wednesday until 8pm Thursday.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for the Cut Bank area and portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County from 2am until 8pm Thursday.
We are going to have partly cloudy to mostly clear skies tonight and partly to mostly sunny skies tomorrow and Thursday as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. Tonight, lows are going to be in the mid to upper teens, 20s, and low 30s. We are then going to have above average temperatures for this time of year tomorrow and Thursday as highs tomorrow are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s, and highs on Thursday are going to be in the 40s in most locations.
It is also going to be breezy in a lot of areas tonight east of the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Along the Divide/Rocky Mountain Front and around Cut Bank, it is going to be gusty tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph. For tomorrow, it is going to be breezy along the Divide, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and around Cut Bank as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. Elsewhere, it is going to be a bit breezy tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
The wind is then going to increase for everyone tomorrow night, and it is going to be very windy on Thursday along the Divide, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and in the adjacent plains out to I-15, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 80 mph are possible along the Divide and the Rocky Mountain Front, while wind gusts up to 70 mph are possible in the adjacent plains out to I-15. East of I-15, we are going to have widespread gusty to strong winds around on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph in a lot of locations, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible, with wind gusts up to 60 mph possible in portions of Cascade and Judith Basin Counties. In the valleys, it is going to be a little breezy on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around Thursday night and Friday as a cold front passes through our area, and light snow accumulations of a coating to a few inches are possible in the lower elevations. In the mountains, 3-8” of snow is possible Thursday night and Friday. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies on Friday. It is also going to be colder and a bit breezy on Friday as highs are going to be in the upper teens and low to mid 20s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
The coldest temperatures since last winter are then expected this weekend as highs are going to be in the -0s, 0s, and low 10s, and lows are going to be in the -0s, -10s, and possibly even the -20s. Prepare now for this upcoming cold weather. There will also be some scattered light snow around on Saturday and a few snow showers around on Sunday. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on these two days.
The temperatures are then going to warm back up early next week with highs in the teens on Monday (MLK Day) and highs in the 20s on Tuesday. It is also going to be breezy on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. On Monday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies and dry conditions. We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a couple snow showers around on Tuesday as a weak disturbance impacts our area.
