WINTER WEATHER ALERTS are currently in effect for all of Montana.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of central and north-central Montana along the I-15 corridor until 5am Wednesday. 2 to 8 inches of new snow accumulation is expected. Winds are also going to be gusting as high as 55 mph.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for portions of central and north-central Montana east of I-15 until 5am/11pm Wednesday. 1 to 2 feet of new snow accumulation is expected in the mountains and along the Rocky Mountain Front. 2 to 10 inches of new snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations. Winds are also going to be gusting as high as 55 mph.
A BLIZZARD WARNING is in effect for part of northeastern Montana from 11pm Monday until 5pm Tuesday. 4 to 12 inches of new snow accumulation is expected. Winds are also going to be gusting as high as 50 mph, and visibility, at times, is going to be less than a quarter mile.
An AVALANCHE WARNING is in effect until 6am/7am Tuesday for some of the mountains in western, central, and southern Montana. Due to heavy snowfall and strong winds, the avalanche danger is currently very high.
Widespread snow is expected Monday night and Tuesday as an arctic front works its way southward through the state. Some of this snow is going to be heavy at times, especially in the mountains and along the Hi-Line. Some rain is also possible in some of the lower elevations tonight and early tomorrow morning as some warm air works its way into our area ahead of the arctic front. There are then going to be areas of primarily light snow around Tuesday night through Thursday morning as a storm system continues to impact our area.
Between Monday evening and Thursday morning, 2 to 12 inches of new snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations, with the highest snowfall amounts expected along the Hi-Line and in eastern portions of north-central Montana. In the mountains and along the Rocky Mountain Front, 1 to 2 feet of new snow accumulation is expected by Thursday morning, with some of the highest peaks potentially receiving up to 3 or 4 feet of new snow accumulation.
Roads are going to be slick and/or snow-covered in a lot of areas over the next couple of days, so please be careful when driving and give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go. Low visibility and blowing snow is also going to be an issue over the next couple of days, but especially later on tonight and tomorrow, as winds are going to be gusting as high as 55 mph.
Talking about the wind…we are going to have increasing wind tonight and gusty winds around tomorrow. This wind is going to be widespread with gusts up to 55 mph possible at times. It is then going to be breezy in some areas tomorrow night through Thursday as wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. This wind is also going to be a cold wind as it is going to be coming out of the north.
Throughout the day on Tuesday, we are going to have falling temperatures. Highs are officially going to be in the 20s and 30s in most locations, but these highs are going to occur at midnight. By sunset on Tuesday, most locations are going to be in the single digits and teens. Lows Tuesday night are then going to be in the -0s and -10s. Bitter cold temperatures are then expected on Wednesday and Thursday as highs are going to be in the 0s and -0s.
The worst of the cold is going to be Thursday night as lows are going to be in the -10s and -20s in most locations. During the day on Friday, the temperatures will start to warm back up with highs in the 0s and 10s, although a few spots will remain below zero, especially along the Hi-Line. We are also going to have mostly sunny skies and dry conditions on Friday.
The temperatures are then going to continue to warm up this weekend as highs are going to be in the 20s and 30s on Saturday and the 30s and low to mid 40s on Sunday. These warmer temperatures are going to be accompanied by a gusty southwesterly breeze though as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. We are also going to have mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions this weekend.
