Another breezy yet beautiful day across central Montana. A strong westerly flow has transported some Pacific moisture to western Montana, including the Helena area, where there have been scattered rain and mountain snow showers throughout the morning. Clouds will eventually begin to clear, leading to mostly sunny skies for the entire region. Later in the afternoon, isolated showers will develop on the Hi-Line east of Havre. Wind speeds will generally range from 15 to 30 mph, with gusts reaching up to 45 mph. Daytime highs will only reach the upper 40s and low to mid 50s in the Helena area, mid to upper 50s in central Montana, and low to mid 60s in eastern Montana.
The National Weather Service in Glasgow has issued a RED FLAG WARNING for southern Petroleum and Garfield counties from noon through 8:00 p.m. A Lake Wind Advisory is in effect for Fort Peck Lake through 9:00 p.m. tonight, with gusts up to 40 mph expected.
A high pressure ridge develops bringing a couple of warm and pleasant afternoons for tomorrow and Friday. Thursday will be the better of the two days in central Montana, with lighter winds and more sunshine. Warm air surges in ahead of a cold front on Friday, which will also bring increased cloudiness and wind, with gusts up to 40 mph possible throughout the day.
A low pressure system dives southeast into Montana from the Gulf of Alaska on Saturday. This storm will strengthen as it moves into eastern Montana late Saturday night into Sunday. The impacts felt here in central Montana will depend on the speed at which the storm strengthens. If it intensifies more quickly, there will be an extended period of heavy snowfall in the mountains, with some areas receiving over a foot of accumulation. However, if it takes longer to strengthen, the impacts will be lesser, resulting in periods of snow in the mountains Saturday night into Sunday.
For the lower elevations, we can expect partly to mostly cloudy skies and scattered rain showers on Saturday, especially during the evening. Rain showers mix with snow by Sunday morning. Scattered rain, graupel, and snow showers will continue through Saturday afternoon and evening as the storm begins to move out of the area.
Temperatures will be significantly cooler this weekend, with high temperatures in the 50s and lower 60s on Saturday, and dropping to the 30s and 40s on Sunday. It will be blustery both days, particularly on Sunday, where gusts of 40 mph or greater are possible. Travel over mountain passes may be slick Saturday night into Sunday.
The entire area will clear out on Monday, aside from a few lingering snow showers in the mountains. Cooler weather will persist, with highs in the mid to upper 40s and lower 50s. A warming trend is anticipated for the remainder of the week.
