A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for portions of north-central Montana from 12am until 3pm Tuesday. Wind gusts up to 75 mph are possible along the Rocky Mountain Front, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible elsewhere.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Glacier National Park area from 12am until 9am Tuesday. Up to 2 inches of snow accumulation is possible below pass level, and 2 to 5+ inches of snow accumulation is possible at/above pass level.
A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for portions of central and north-central Montana from 6pm Tuesday until 6am Thursday. 4 to 10 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the lower elevations, and 6 to 14+ inches of snow accumulation is possible in the mountains.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for portions of southwestern Montana from 6am Tuesday until 6am Thursday. 6 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the lower elevations, and 12 to 30 inches of snow accumulation is possible at/above mountain pass level.
We are going to have increasing wind tonight, with widespread gusty to strong winds around later on tonight and tomorrow morning. The wind is then going to diminish from west to east tomorrow afternoon/evening. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, wind gusts up to 75 mph are going to be possible at times. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph are going to be possible at times.
Along the Rocky Mountain Front, along the Continental Divide, and around the Helena area, there are going to be areas of snow/rain around tonight, generally after midnight, as a disturbance passes through our area. East of the Rocky Mountain Front in north-central Montana, there are just going to be a few isolated rain and snow showers around later on tonight. Most of the snow accumulation tonight will be confined to the mountains, but some lower elevation locations may receive up to an inch of snow accumulation tonight. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies tonight.
For tomorrow, in north-central Montana, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with a few isolated rain and snow showers around during the morning and a chance of snow/rain during the evening, generally in the Cascade/Fergus/Judith Basin County area. For tomorrow, around the Helena area, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with scattered areas of snow/rain around during the early morning and during the evening. It is also going to be feel nice outside again tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 30s and 40s.
Precipitation is then going to become more widespread tomorrow night in central and north-central Montana. This precipitation will start out as a snow/rain mix for some, but will eventually transition over to all snow. Snow is then likely Wednesday morning, with widespread snow showers around Wednesday afternoon/evening and scattered snow showers around Wednesday night. This snow will impact the Wednesday morning and evening commutes, so please use caution when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
Between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning, 1 to 8 inches of snow accumulation is expected in most lower elevation locations. In the mountains, 7 to 14+ inches of snow accumulation is expected.
It is also going to be colder on Wednesday than it is going to be tomorrow as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. Gusty winds are also expected on Wednesday in central Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front as wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
On Thursday, we are going to have decreasing clouds with some isolated snow showers around, generally during the morning and generally in locations east of I-15. It is also going to be chilly on Thursday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s.
Pleasant weather is then expected for St. Patrick’s Day (Friday) and this weekend as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. On Friday and Saturday, we are going to have mostly to mainly sunny skies and dry conditions. We are then going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions on Sunday. We are also going to have little wind around on these three days. Cool/below-average temperatures are also expected on these three days as highs are going to be in the 20s, 30s, and low 40s in most locations, with the coldest temperatures along the central and eastern half of the Hi-Line.
