Tuesday promises to be another stunning day, with sunshine, lighter winds, and unseasonably warm temperatures. Most locations across central and eastern Montana will see highs in the mid and upper 70s, around 20° warmer than normal for mid-October.
Soak up the sunny and warm conditions, as it’s likely to be the last stretch of this unusual fall warmth. Starting Thursday, a cool Pacific storm system will sweep into the region, providing much cooler weather and cloudier skies for the remainder of the week.
A cold front will approach the area on Wednesday, bringing rain showers and mountain snow to western Montana by the afternoon. As evening approaches, a brisk west-southwest breeze will pick up across the plains, with gusts reaching 30 to 40 mph at times throughout the night.
While a few isolated showers are possible, the heaviest precipitation will be concentrated in the mountain areas around Big Sky and West Yellowstone, where over half a foot of snow could accumulate by Thursday. Central Montana’s mountain ranges will only see light snow showers early Thursday morning.
The bigger story is going to be the plummeting temperatures. Daytime highs will struggle to get out of the 40s on Thursday and Friday. It will also be cloudy with a brisk breeze on Thursday, adding to the fall feel.
Early Friday, be ready for widespread frost and freeze as morning temperatures dip down into the upper 20s and lower 30s. This means it's time for those final harvests in your garden, if you haven't completed already.
Temperatures will start to rebound throughout the weekend, with highs close to 70 degrees by Sunday! It should be another gorgeous fall weekend with plentiful sunshine. However, the wind will likely be stronger compared to last weekend.
