A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 6pm Thursday for northeastern Montana east of Blaine County.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect until 6am Saturday for northern Blaine County and from 6pm Thursday until 6am Saturday for southern Blaine County and locations west of Blaine County out to the Divide.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Kootenai/Cabinet region and the Flathead/Mission valleys from 12am until 12pm Friday.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for locations along/just east of the Divide from 6am Thursday until 6am Saturday.
A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for all of north-central Montana from 6am Saturday until 12am Monday and for the West Glacier area from 6pm Thursday until 6am Sunday.
Some snow is likely tonight along central and eastern portions of the Hi-Line as a disturbance continues to impact our area. Elsewhere, we are going to have developing rain and snow after midnight tonight, especially in central Montana and along the Rocky Mountain Front, as another disturbance begins to impact our area. We are also going to have increasing clouds tonight around Helena, with mostly cloudy to overcast skies tonight in north-central Montana.
It is also going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the upper teens, 20s, and low to mid 30s in most locations, with the warmest temperatures around the Helena area. We are also going to have diminishing wind this evening, with just a little breeze around tonight.
For tomorrow, there are going to be areas of snow and rain around during the morning in north-central Montana and around Helena, and there are going to be scattered snow and rain showers around during the afternoon and evening, generally in north-central Montana. There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around tomorrow night and Friday in north-central Montana, and there are going to be some scattered snow and rain showers around the Helena area (generally in the mountains) tomorrow night and Friday. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies tomorrow around Helena and mostly cloudy skies tomorrow in north-central Montana. Mostly cloudy to overcast skies are then expected for everyone on Friday.
From this evening through Friday evening, the highest snow amounts will be along the Hi-Line and the Rocky Mountain Front. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, 5 to 15 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations, and up to 25 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the mountains. Along the Hi-Line, 2 to 7 inches of snow accumulation is expected. Elsewhere, up to 5 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the mountains and up to 3 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the lower elevations, with most locations receiving less than 2 inches of snow accumulation.
The temperatures are also going to get colder over the next two days as highs tomorrow are going to range from the mid 20s to the mid 50s, and highs on Friday are going to range from the mid 20s to the mid 40s. On both days, the coldest temperatures are going to be along the Hi-Line and the warmest temperatures are going to be around Helena. We are also going to have gusty winds around tomorrow along the southern Rocky Mountain Front and around the Helena area as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. Elsewhere, there is going to be a bit of a breeze around tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around in some areas on Friday as sustained wind speeds are once again going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Widespread accumulating snow is then likely this weekend, especially from Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning, as a storm system impacts our area. Some of this snow may be heavy at times, and significant snow accumulations are expected as most locations in north-central Montana will pick up 3 to 12 inches of new snow accumulation from Friday evening through Sunday evening. This means that between this evening and Sunday evening, most of north-central Montana will receive between 4 and 15 inches of snow accumulation, with higher amounts along the Rocky Mountain Front, especially in the Glacier National Park area.
It is also going to be cold this weekend as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the low 30s. There is also going to be a breeze around this weekend, especially on Saturday, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
On Monday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered snow showers around, especially during the afternoon and evening, as another disturbance passes through our area. We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Tuesday with scattered snow/rain showers around Helena and some scattered snow showers around in north-central Montana, especially in the mountains and along the Hi-Line. The temperatures are also going to warm back up some over these two days as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the upper 30s on Monday and highs are going to range from the low 20s to the mid 40s on Tuesday.
