Good morning! Did you feel a boom or shaking in Helena yesterday? A magnitude 2.7 earthquake was recorded at around 6 miles below the surface, north of Helena Regional Airport. It was also the warmest day since October 27th for Helena, with a high temperature of 64°.
Gusty winds in the 15-30 mph range continue this morning. There have been wind gusts of 40-60 mph in many locations, with a peak wind gust for Great Falls at 48 mph. A High Wind Warning remains in effect through 6:00 PM today. The wind will decrease gradually this afternoon and evening.
Light snow is impacting the Rocky Mountain Front and areas along the Continental Divide. A stray rain or snow shower could move over the plains, but it will be mostly dry. Skies will become overcast later this afternoon as temperatures begin to fall through the 40s and eventually into the 30s.
Another disturbance will bring additional light snow to the mountains on Tuesday afternoon. There will be some sunshine during the morning, with clouds moving in later in the afternoon and evening. Daytime highs are expected to be a bit warmer, with most areas reaching the upper 40s and low to mid 50s.
High pressure will briefly build in on Wednesday, with temperatures forecast to warm into the 50s and lower 60s. Mostly cloudy to overcast skies will continue as yet another disturbance brings snow to the mountains along the Divide.
A Pacific storm system moves into the area on Thursday. Rain is likely for lower elevations, while snow will accumulate in the higher terrain. As the center of the storm moves over the region, a cooler air mass will settle in, causing any rain to transition to snow showers across the lower elevations. Daytime highs will drop into the 30s and 40s from Thursday through the weekend.
By the end of the week, the mountain ranges in central Montana could see 3-7 inches of snowfall, with the higher terrain along the Continental Divide potentially receiving up to a foot of snow. Meanwhile, lower elevations will see minor snow accumulation.
