It is going to be mostly clear and cool tonight as lows are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s in most locations. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around along the northern half of the Rocky Mountain Front tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Tomorrow will feature the best weather of the next week, so definitely spend some time outside! We are going to have mostly sunny skies, dry conditions, and much warmer temperatures as highs are going to be in the 60s and low to mid 70s. The wind also won’t be too bad tomorrow, but it will be breezy in some areas as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Winter will then return for the middle of the week as a storm system from Canada impacts our area. Rain/snow will begin to develop along the western half of the Hi-Line late Tuesday night. As we go through Wednesday, precipitation will become more widespread and will gradually be working its way southward and eastward, impacting the Great Falls and Havre areas by late morning and the Lewistown and Helena areas by late afternoon. Precipitation will start out as rain in the lower elevations in western/southern portions of north-central Montana, but this rain will mix in with and switchover to snow as the day goes on as colder air works its way into our area. The further east of I-15 you are in north-central Montana, the less likely it is that the rain will switchover to snow. Instead, precipitation will mainly be in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix.
There are then going to be areas of snow around Wednesday night, generally in central Montana. Rain may also mix in with this snow in some of the lower elevations early on. Thursday will then be an unsettled day as the storm system pulls away as there are going to be scattered snow/graupel showers around throughout the day. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies on Wednesday and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Thursday.
In the Rockies, 8-16+” of snow is expected and in the mountains in central Montana, 4-12” of snow is expected through midday Thursday. In the lower elevations, snow amounts will vary greatly based on your location. In the high plains near the Rockies, 3-10” of snow is expected, and this includes locations like Browning and Heart Butte. East of the high plains and out to I-15, this is where a coating-3” of snow is expected. In central Montana and southern portions of north-central Montana, including the Great Falls, Helena, Lewistown, and Stanford areas, a coating-4” of snow is expected. Across the plains east of I-15 in north-central Montana, most locations will receive little (a coating) to no snow accumulation through midday Thursday.
Slick/snow-covered roads are expected at and above mountain pass level and in some of the lower elevations from Wednesday evening through Thursday morning, so please be careful when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
Much cooler temperatures are also expected on Wednesday and Thursday as highs on Wednesday are going to range from the mid 30s to the mid 50s, and highs on Thursday are going to be in the 40s and mid to upper 30s in most locations. There is also going to be a chilly breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible. This wind will be coming out of the north in most locations.
The weather will then improve as we head into Friday and Saturday. On Friday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with a few snow/graupel/rain showers around, generally in the mountains. Lots of sunshine and dry conditions are then expected on Saturday. The temperatures are also going to warm up a lot over these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s on Friday and the 60s on Saturday. Gusty winds will return with the warmer temperatures on Saturday though as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
On Easter Sunday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a few scattered rain and mountain snow showers around, especially in the mountains, as a disturbance begins to impact our area. It is also going to be cooler and a bit breezy on Easter as highs are going to be in the 50s and low 60s, and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be scattered rain and mountain snow showers around on Monday. It is also going to be overcast and cool on Monday as highs are going to be in the 50s and mid to upper 40s in most locations.
