A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect from 12am Tuesday until 12am/6am Wednesday for Broadwater County, Cascade County, Fergus County, Glacier County, Judith Basin County, Lewis and Clark County, Meagher County, Pondera County, Teton County, and Toole County. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times along the Rocky Mountain Front, while wind gusts up to 60 mph are going to be possible at times east of the Rocky Mountain Front.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect from 6am Wednesday until 9pm Wednesday/12am Thursday for Blaine County, Chouteau County, Fergus County, Hill County, Liberty County, Phillips County, and Valley County. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are going to be possible at times.
A LAKE WIND ADVISORY is in effect for Fort Peck Lake from 9am Tuesday until 6am Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 45 mph are going to be possible at times.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect until 6am Wednesday for the West Glacier area and the northern Rocky Mountain Front. Heavy wet snow is expected above 5000 feet. Between 5000 feet and 6000 feet, 3 to 8 inches of snow accumulation is expected. Between 6000 feet and 7000 feet, 8 to 15 inches of snow accumulation is expected. Above 7000 feet, up to 24+ inches of snow accumulation is expected.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 6am Wednesday for the southern Rocky Mountain Front. 3 to 6 inches of snow accumulation is expected above 5000 feet, with 12+ inches of snow accumulation possible above 7000 feet.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 6am Wednesday for the Seeley Lake region and from 1am until 12pm Tuesday for the Kootenai/Cabinet region. 1 to 7 inches of snow accumulation is expected between 4000 feet and 6000 feet, while 7 to 20 inches of snow accumulation is expected above 6000 feet.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect from 12am Tuesday until 12pm Wednesday for Broadwater County, Cascade County, Judith Basin County, and Meagher County. 3 to 7 inches of snow accumulation is expected above 6000 feet.
A FLOOD WATCH is in effect until 12pm Wednesday for western Glacier County and western Pondera County. Flooding due to rainfall and snowmelt is possible.
There is going to be A LOT of wind around from tonight through Wednesday. The strongest wind tomorrow is going to be along/a little bit east of the Rocky Mountain Front and in central Montana. The strongest wind on Wednesday is then going to be in east-central and northeastern Montana. When the wind is at its strongest, you can expect sustained wind speeds to be between 25 and 45 mph, and wind gusts to approach 70 mph at times. When the wind is not at its strongest, you can expect sustained wind speeds to be between 15 and 30 mph, and wind gusts to approach 50 mph at times. This wind is going to create difficult travel conditions for high-profile vehicles, so please try and delay your travel if possible. This wind may also cause there to be areas of reduced visibility, specifically in the mountains, where there will be snow falling. Also, try and avoid being out on the water over the next couple of days as the water is going to be very choppy.
There is going to be mountain snow around from Monday evening through Wednesday morning in the Rockies as well as in some of the mountain ranges in central Montana, including the Little Belt and Big Belt Mountains. In the smaller mountain ranges, 3 to 7 inches of snow accumulation is expected above 6000 feet. In the Rockies, snow accumulation is expected above 5000 feet, and the snow accumulation will increase with elevation, with up to 2 or 3 FEET of snow accumulation possible above 7000 feet. This snow is going to create difficult travel conditions on backcountry roads as well as over some of the mountain passes, including Marias Pass. Try and avoid traveling on backcountry roads in the Rockies above 5000 feet over the next few days.
In the lower elevations, there are going to be some scattered rain showers around tonight, generally after midnight. There are then going to be scattered rain showers around throughout the day tomorrow, with rain showers likely tomorrow night. On Wednesday, there are going to be rain showers around, mainly in locations east of I-15, and generally during the morning. Some isolated thunderstorms are also possible from tonight through Wednesday. We are also going to have increasing clouds tonight; mostly cloudy to overcast skies tomorrow and tomorrow night; and decreasing clouds on Wednesday.
Between this evening and Wednesday evening, many lower elevation locations are going to receive between a tenth of an inch and a half an inch of rainfall, but there will be some locations that receive less or more than this range. In the higher elevations, and especially in the Rockies, over an inch of precipitation is expected.
It is also going to be cool tonight as lows are going to be in the 40s and mid to upper 30s in most locations. The temperatures tomorrow are then going to be a lot cooler than the temperatures over the past few days have been as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s, although northeastern Montana will top out in the 60s. The temperatures are then going to begin to warm back up on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 60s and low 70s in most locations.
Mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Thursday and Friday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. The temperatures are also going to warm up A LOT over these two days as highs are going to be in the low to mid 80s on Thursday, and the upper 80s and low to mid 90s on Friday. Friday is also going to be the warmest day that we have had so far this year. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Saturday, we are going to have increasing clouds with some isolated rain showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening. It is also going to be a touch cooler, but still very warm on Saturday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 80s and low 90s. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be scattered rain showers and thunderstorms around on Sunday, especially during the afternoon and evening, and there are going to be some scattered rain showers and thunderstorms around on Monday as a disturbance passes through our area. The temperatures are also going to be a lot cooler on these two days than they are going to be on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, as highs are going to be back in the 70s and upper 60s. It is also going to be breezy on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
