A small surge of moisture will move through Thursday night into Friday with light, scattered snow showers (mainly impacting folks in the southern tier of the Treasure State and in the mountains).
Of greater note: Winds will increase (30-40mph range) across the plains of central and north central Montana on Friday which will allow temps to climb into the 30s to low 40s! The wind (combined with a fresh and loose snowpack) will also set the stage for the potential of blowing and drifting snow.
Those areas most at risk of seeing significant reductions in visibility and the potential for partial lane blockages include the Rocky Mountain Front (gusts up to 55mph) and the adjacent plains. Travel could become hazardous during the day on Friday along some routes like I-15, Hwy 89, Hwy 200/Hwy 87 and Hwy 2 in the aforementioned regions. Because of this, Winter Weather Advisories have been issued as follows:
Rocky Mountain Front & eastern Glacier County from midnight tonight to 11pm Friday for gusts up to 65mph.
Toole, eastern Teton & eastern Pondera Counties from 5am to 11pm Friday for gusts up to 55mph.
Judith Basin & Cascade Counties from 5am to 11pm Friday for gusts up to 50mph.
Wind looks to decrease a bit Friday night into Saturday (still a bit breezy, though).
Mild temperatures and mountain precipitation will continue through the weekend and into Monday, but winds will likely become even stronger for the Sunday into Monday period.
A High Wind Watch has been issued for Cascade, Chouteau, Liberty, eastern Pondera, eastern Teton & Judith Basin Counties from Sunday afternoon through Monday afternoon. West winds of 30-40mph with gusts up to 60mph are possible. A Watch has also been issued from Sunday morning through Monday afternoon for the Rocky Mountain Front and eastern Glacier and Toole Counties for west winds of 40-50mph with gusts in the 70 to 80mph range.
It also looks very possible we could get a little lower elevation snow Monday night into Tuesday.
Far out, there's the potential for another Arctic cold blast late next week or weekend... something we're watching here in the StormTracker Weather Center!
