The system that brought rain showers, mountain snow, and clouds to parts of Montana is pulling away leading to clearing skies across the Treasure State. Friday will feature sunshine and continued cool temperatures.
The bigger concern going forward is going to be a strong downslope wind that will develop for the Rocky Mountain Front Friday evening. A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect from 6:00 PM Friday through 6:00 PM Saturday for the northern Rocky Mountain Front. There will be intense crosswinds on Highway 89 from Babb to Choteau, Highway 49 from Kiowa to East Glacier, and Highway 464 from Babb to Browning. Gusts may exceed 80mph in these areas. Wind gusts up to 60mph will extend eastward towards Shleby and Cut Bank. Elsewhere, gusts up to 45mph are possible through Saturday evening. The strongest wind speeds will be early Saturday morning.
Temperatures will moderate throughout the weekend with daytime highs reaching the low to mid 70s by Sunday. It will remain breezy.
A cool system will arrive early next week bringing additional shower chances and closer-to-average temperatures. Models tend to trend warmer for the rest of the week as an upper-level ridge builds over the West. High temps will likely return to above average.
