A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for Glacier County, northern Lewis and Clark County, western/central Pondera County, western/central Teton County, and western Toole County from 11am Saturday until 5am Sunday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 35 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times Some wind gusts up to 85 mph are also going to be possible in the wind prone areas along the Rocky Mountain Front.
A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for the Little Belt Mountains and the Highwood Mountains from 12am Sunday until 6am Monday. 6 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected. Blowing snow and reduced visibility is also expected as winds will be gusting as high as 40 mph.
There are going to be a few scattered snow showers around before midnight tonight in the mountains south of Great Falls and around the Helena area as a disturbance works its way out of our area. New snow accumulation of up to an inch is possible in locations that do see some snow. Partly cloudy skies are also expected tonight.
We are also going to have gusty winds around tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front as wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around tonight in some locations east of the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. It is also going to be chilly/cold tonight as lows are going to be in the single digits, teens, and 20s.
For tomorrow, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions. We are also going to have seasonable temperatures tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 20s and 30s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy in portions of central and north-central Montana tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
On Saturday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions. There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around Saturday night and Sunday as a storm system passes through our area. A little bit of rain and freezing rain is also possible with the initial onset of precipitation. In the lower elevations, a coating to 3 inches of snow accumulation is expected in most locations. In the mountains, up to a foot of snow accumulation is possible, with the highest amounts expected in the Little Belt Mountains and the Highwood Mountains.
We are also going to have strong winds around this weekend along the Rocky Mountain Front and in some locations adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times. Also, the strongest wind is currently expected to occur between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning. Everywhere else, we are going to have gusty winds around this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are going to be possible at times. Also, the wind is going to be coming out of the southwest on Saturday and the west-northwest on Sunday.
The temperatures are also going to cool down some between Saturday and Sunday as highs on Saturday are going to be in the 30s and low to mid 40s, and highs on Sunday are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s.
On Monday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with a few snow showers around, generally during the evening, as another disturbance begins to approach our area. There are then going to be some scattered snow showers around Monday night and Tuesday morning as this disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies on Tuesday. It is also going to be chilly and breezy on these two days as highs are going to be in the 20s and 30s, and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
We are then going to have a chance to see some more rain and snow showers on Wednesday as another disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be chilly and a bit breezy on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 20s and 30s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
