A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front, the Highwood Mountains, and the Little Belt Mountains until 11am Friday. 6 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected, with up to 18 inches of snow accumulation possible above pass level.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for most of central and north-central Montana until 8am Friday and for northeastern Montana until 5pm Friday. 1 to 6 inches of snow accumulation is expected.
There are going to be some scattered areas of snow around tonight, especially after midnight. Widespread snow is then expected throughout the day tomorrow, but especially during the afternoon and evening. Some of this snow may also be heavy at times. There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around tomorrow night, generally before midnight and generally in locations east of I-15. We are then going to have decreasing clouds on Friday with a couple isolated snow showers around as this storm system leaves our area.
Along the Rocky Mountain Front, in the Big Belt and Little Belt Mountains, and in the Highwood Mountains, 6 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected by midday Friday, with up to 18 inches of snow accumulation possible above pass level. In the lower elevations and the other mountain ranges in central and north-central Montana, 2 to 6 inches of snow accumulation is expected by midday Friday. This snow is going to create difficult driving conditions on Thursday, especially for the Thursday evening commute, so please be careful when driving and give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go as roads are going to be snow-covered and there are going to be areas of reduced visibility.
There is also going to be a breeze around in some locations tonight, especially before midnight, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. There is then going to be a little bit of a breeze around in spots tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 15 mph. Gusty winds are then expected along the Rocky Mountain Front on Friday as gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. This wind is also going to create slippery road conditions and areas of low visibility due to blowing and drifting snow, so please be careful if you are going to be driving in this area.
For tonight and tomorrow, we are going to have a wide range of temperatures, with the coldest temperatures to the north and the warmest temperatures to the south, as a cold front slowly pushes southward through the state. Tonight, lows are going to be in the single digits and low to mid teens in north-central Montana and the teens and low to mid 20s in central Montana. Tomorrow, highs are going to be in the single digits and teens in north-central Montana and the teens, 20s, and low 30s in central Montana. It is then going to be frigid for everyone on Friday as highs are going to be in the single digits and teens.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions on Saturday, and mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions on Sunday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. It is also going to be warmer this weekend than it is going to be on Friday as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s. There is also going to be a breeze around this weekend, especially on Saturday, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and this wind is going to be coming out of the southwest.
There are then going to be scattered snow showers around on Monday and Tuesday, especially from Monday afternoon through Tuesday morning, as another storm system passes through our area. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Monday and partly cloudy skies on Tuesday. It is also going to be chilly and a bit breezy on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper teens and low to mid 20s, and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
We are then going to have partly cloudy skies, mostly dry conditions, and warmer temperatures on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. We are also going to have gusty winds around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
