A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of central Montana (east of the Divide) until 9am Tuesday.
Winter is here! As we go through this week, the temperatures will gradually get colder and multiple disturbances will bring scattered light snow to the state, with another widespread and impactful snow possible Friday into Saturday. With cold temperatures and more snow in the forecast, roads will be slick for most of this week, so please use extreme caution when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
There will also be a few scattered areas of light snow around tomorrow morning, mainly in southern portions of north-central Montana (around Great Falls, Stanford, and Lewistown) and in locations east of I-15, as this disturbance leaves our area.
Check the Montana Department of Transportation website before you hit the road to find out which roads are snow-covered, which ones have ice and/or slush, and if any roads are closed. You can also check MDT cameras from across the state by clicking here.
A coating to 3” of snow accumulation is expected through midday tomorrow in western and southern portions of north-central Montana, with isolated locations receiving up to 5” of new snow, especially in and around the Little Belts.
We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies and chilly temperatures tonight as lows are going to be in the teens and 20s. For tomorrow, we are going to have decreasing clouds around Helena, decreasing PM clouds around Great Falls and Choteau, and mostly cloudy skies elsewhere in north-central Montana. It is also going to be chilly tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s, and it is going to be a bit breezy tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front and in northeastern Montana.
There is then going to be some scattered light snow around on Wednesday, especially during the afternoon and evening, and there is going to be scattered light snow around on Thursday, especially in locations east of I-15, as a couple more disturbances pass through our area. Snow accumulation from these disturbances will be light, with most areas receiving less than 2” of new snow. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies on these two days. It is also going to be cold on these two days in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the teens and low 20s in most locations. Around Helena, highs on these two days are going to be near to a little bit below average as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s.
A more widespread and impactful snow event is then possible Friday and Saturday as a stronger disturbance passes through our area. This disturbance has the potential to drop similar snow amounts to what we saw yesterday (Sunday) into today (Monday). A little rain and/or freezing rain may also mix in with this snow, especially around the Helena area. It is also going to continue to be cold on these two days in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the single digits, teens, and low 20s, with lows in the single digits above and below zero. Around Helena, highs on these two days are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low 30s.
We are then going to have overcast skies on Sunday with scattered snow around Helena and a few snow showers around in north-central Montana as the next disturbance begins to impact our area. There is then going to be some scattered light snow around on Monday as this disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures on these two days as highs are going to range from the single digits and teens along the Hi-Line to the 20s and low 30s in central Montana.
