For the Rocky Mountain Front, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect until 12am Friday and a Blizzard Warning is in effect from 12am Friday until 12am Saturday. New snow accumulation of up to 5 inches is possible in the plains and new snow accumulation of up to 19 inches is possible in the mountains. Whiteout conditions are also expected due to blowing and drifting snow, which will create dangerous travel conditions.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for the Hi-Line until 5am Friday and for the rest of central Montana until 10pm Thursday. New snow accumulation of up to 2 inches is possible.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect for portions of central Montana from 9am or 1pm Friday until 3am Saturday. Areas of blowing and drifting snow are expected, which will reduce visibility and create slippery road conditions.
A High Wind Warning is in effect for Cascade County, Glacier County, Judith Basin County, northwestern Lewis and Clark County, Pondera County, Teton County, and Toole County from 9am/1pm Friday until 3am/5am Saturday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 30 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 65 mph are going to be possible at times.
A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for the Hi-Line until 5am/6am Friday. Wind chills as low as 40 below zero are possible. With wind chills this low, frostbite can occur on exposed skin in as little as 10 minutes.
We are going to have mostly cloudy skies tonight with some scattered areas of light to moderate snow around, especially before midnight. New snow accumulation of up to 2 inches is possible in towns/cities that see this snow. Tonight is also going to start off frigid as the temperatures are going to be in the -10s, -0s, and 0s this evening, but the temperatures are going to gradually warm up as the night goes on. The wind is also going to pick up tonight, and it is going to become windy late tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and it is going to become breezy late tonight in portions of central Montana.
For tomorrow, the wind is going to continue to get stronger as the day goes on, and widespread windy conditions are expected tomorrow afternoon/evening and early tomorrow night as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are going to be possible at times. This wind is also going to cause there to be areas of blowing and drifting snow around, which is going to create slippery road conditions in the plains. In the Rockies and along the Rocky Mountain Front, these strong winds are going to create whiteout conditions, which is going to make travel dangerous in this area. Please limit all non-essential travel in this area tomorrow and tomorrow night.
We are also going to have partly cloudy skies tomorrow with some scattered snow and rain showers around, especially in the higher elevations. In the Rockies, snow is likely throughout the day tomorrow. It is also going to be a lot warmer tomorrow than it has been over the past few days as highs are going to be in the 30s and 40s.
Colder temperatures are then expected on Saturday as highs are going to be in the single digits and teens in north-central Montana, and highs are going to be around 30 degrees in Helena. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 15 mph. We are also going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies on Saturday with some isolated snow showers around.
Partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected from Sunday through Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. On Sunday, we are going to have near average temperatures as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. We are then going to have above average temperatures on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. It is also going to be breezy/windy in north-central Montana on these five days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
