WINTER STORM WARNINGS and WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES remain in effect for a lot of Montana through Saturday.
A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for northeastern Montana from 5am/5pm Saturday until 2pm Monday. Wind chills as low as 25 to 35 below zero are possible.
There are going to be areas of light to moderate snow around tonight and tomorrow morning. As we go through tomorrow, the snow is going to gradually taper off from north to south. New snow accumulation of up to 6 inches is possible through tomorrow evening in the lower elevations, with most lower elevation locations receiving less than 4 inches of new snow accumulation. In the mountains, up to a foot and a half of new snow accumulation is possible through tomorrow evening, with most locations receiving less than a foot of new snow accumulation.
Moisture on the roadways will freeze tonight as the temperatures drop way below freezing. Additional snow is also going to quickly accumulate tonight with the loss of daytime heating and the colder temperatures. This means that roads are going to be slick in a lot of areas tonight (and tomorrow), so please use extreme caution when driving and give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go.
Talking about the temperatures, we are going to have falling temperatures tonight and tomorrow. The highs tomorrow are officially going to be in the teens and 20s, but those highs are going to occur at midnight tonight. For most of the daylight hours tomorrow, temperatures are going to be in the single digits and low teens. It is also going to be breezy later on tonight and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and this wind is going to cause the wind chills to be below zero for a lot of tomorrow, so make sure you bundle up if you are going to be outside at all.
Bitter cold temperatures are then expected from Saturday night through Monday morning as lows Saturday night are going to be in the -0s and -10s; highs on Sunday are going to be in the -0s and 0s; and lows Sunday night are going to be in the -10s and -20s. Wind chills during this period are generally going to be in the -0s, -10s, and -20s, but may get as low as 40 below zero. Also, the wind on Sunday is going to be strongest in eastern Montana where gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times. In north-central Montana, wind gusts are generally going to remain below 30 mph on Sunday. We are also going to have decreasing clouds and mainly dry conditions on Sunday.
The temperatures are then going to gradually rebound as we go through next week. On Monday, highs are going to be in the single digits and teens above zero. The high temperatures are then going to be in the teens and 20s on Tuesday and the 20s and low 30s on Wednesday. By the end of next week, we are going to have near to above average temperatures once again as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
Chinook winds are also expected for most of next week, which is why the temperatures are going to quickly rebound, at least in the plains. These chinook winds are not going to be terribly strong, but it is still going to be breezy more often than not next week 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.
On Tuesday, a disturbance is going to pass through our area, so we are going to have a chance to see some snow showers. For every other day next week, mainly dry conditions are expected as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and mostly cloudy skies on Tuesday and Friday.
