WINTER WEATHER ALERTS are in effect for most of Montana through Saturday or early Sunday morning.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect most of north-central Montana and portions of northeastern Montana until 5am/5pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Helena Valley, Canyon Ferry, and the Meagher County valleys until 8pm Friday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the southern Rocky Mountain Front, the high plains, the Madison River Valley, and the mountains around Helena until 5am/5pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of northeastern Montana, including Valley County and northern Phillips County, until 5am Sunday.
A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of northeastern Montana until 12pm Saturday.
Widespread snow is likely through tomorrow morning in north-central Montana, and there are going to be areas of snow around the Helena area through tomorrow morning. As we go through tomorrow, the snow is going to gradually taper off from west to east. Also, some of the snow that falls this evening, tonight, and tomorrow morning will be moderate to heavy at times.
Check the Montana Department of Transportation website before you hit the road to find out which roads are snow-covered, which ones have ice and/or slush, and if any roads are closed. You can also check MDT cameras from across the state by clicking here.
Around the Helena area, an additional coating-4” of snow is expected through tomorrow evening. In north-central Montana, 2-8” of new snow is expected through tomorrow evening. Due to this snow, difficult travel conditions are expected tonight and tomorrow morning, so please use extreme caution when driving and consider delaying your travel if you can. Also, give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go. Road conditions will begin to improve some during the second half of tomorrow as the snow moves out allowing plows to catch up.
Breezy conditions are also expected tonight in locations east of I-15 and tomorrow along the Divide, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and along the eastern half of the Hi-Line as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. It is also going to be frigid tonight as lows are going to be in the -0s, 0s, and 10s. It is then going to be cold again tomorrow in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the single digits and teens. Around Helena, it is going to be warmer tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s.
There is then going to be some scattered light snow around in north-central Montana on Sunday and Monday, generally from Sunday afternoon through Monday morning, and light snow accumulations are possible. Around Helena, there is going to be scattered snow around on Sunday, especially in the mountains, and light to moderate snow is likely on Monday, especially during the morning. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies and a wide range of temperatures on these two days as highs are going to range from the low teens to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and the warmest temperatures around Helena. Also, Monday will be the colder day for most locations.
We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions on Tuesday as we are going to be in between disturbances. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures again on Tuesday as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures in northeastern Montana. It is also going to be a little breezy in some areas on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be some scattered rain and snow showers around on Wednesday, generally during the afternoon/evening, as another disturbance passes through our area. Mostly dry conditions are then expected on Thursday and Friday as high pressure builds back into our area. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies and warmer temperatures on these three days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s, 30s, and low 40s. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday and Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
