A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of central Montana, including Cascade County, Fergus County, Judith Basin County, and the Big Belt and Little Belt mountains until tomorrow morning.
There is going to be widespread light to moderate snow around this evening and tonight, especially before midnight. The snow will then gradually taper off during the second half of tonight. <2” of new snow accumulation is expected in most spots through tomorrow morning, but isolated locations may receive up to 3” or 4” of new snow, especially in Fergus County and Judith Basin County.
Once the sun sets, the snow will begin to accumulate on the roadways. Any moisture on the roadways from the snow that melted during the day today will also freeze tonight with lows in the 20s. This means roads will be slick in a lot of areas tonight and tomorrow morning, so please use extreme caution when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to work and school tomorrow morning. It is also going to be a little breezy in some areas tonight, especially before midnight, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
For tomorrow, we are going to have decreasing clouds with a couple lingering snow showers around during the morning. It is also going to be cool tomorrow as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low 40s. There is also going to be a little breeze around tomorrow in northeastern Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
On Wednesday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies (mostly cloudy along the Hi-Line and mostly sunny around Helena) with a few rain and snow showers around, generally in the mountains and along the Hi-Line, as a disturbance passes through our area. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible. It is also going to be a little warmer on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most spots.
We are then going to have partly cloudy skies on Thursday (mostly sunny along the Hi-Line and mostly cloudy around Helena) as a disturbance passes by our area to the south. Most locations will also be dry on Thursday, but a few isolated snow showers are possible around Helena. We are also going to have cool temperatures on Thursday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low 40s in most locations.
Warmer temperatures are then expected Friday and this weekend as highs on Friday are going to be in the upper 30s, 40s, and low 50s; highs on Saturday are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s; and highs on Sunday are going to be in upper 40s, 50s, and low 60s. These warmer temperatures will be accompanied by a lot of wind though. On Friday, it is going to be breezy east of the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and it is going to be gusty along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. It is then going to be gusty/windy in the plains this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be very windy this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 40 mph. In the Helena Valley, there is just going to be a little breeze (5-20 mph) around Friday and this weekend.
We are also going to have mostly sunny skies and dry conditions on Friday, and partly cloudy skies and dry conditions this weekend as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather.
On Monday, we are going to have overcast skies and a few isolated rain and snow showers are possible later in the day as a disturbance begins to approach our area. It is also going to be mild and breezy on Monday as highs are going to be in the 50s and upper 40s, and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
