A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for portions of northeastern Montana until 6pm Thursday and for portions of central and north-central Montana until 12pm/6pm Wednesday. In northeastern Montana, 5 to 8 inches of snow accumulation is expected. In central/north-central Montana, 4 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations and the Bears Paw Mountains, and 12 to 24+ inches of snow accumulation is expected in the mountains. 35 to 55 mph wind gusts are also possible.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of northeastern Montana until 6pm Thursday and for portions of central and north-central Montana until 6am/12pm Wednesday. 1 to 5 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations, and 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the mountains. 40 to 55 mph wind gusts are also possible.
A FLOOD WARNING is in effect for Lodge Creek near the international border until further notice; for the Milk River in Blaine County until further notice; and for the Milk River from around the Saco area to around the Nashua area until further notice. Minor, moderate, or major flooding is currently occurring in these areas.
A FLOOD ADVISORY is in effect for a lot of the Hi-Line east of I-15 until 12pm/6pm Friday. Flooding due to snowmelt is currently occurring in these areas.
Flooding will continue to be an issue along the Hi-Line for the foreseeable future as even more precipitation is expected this week and this precipitation will continue to runoff into the rivers/creeks/streams that are already running higher than usual. If there is water on the roadways, make sure you turn around and don’t drown.
There are going to be areas of snow and rain around tonight and tomorrow as a storm system stalls out near our area. There are then going to be areas of primarily snow around tomorrow night, generally in north-central Montana. More snow is then expected on Thursday, but this snow will gradually taper off during the second half of the day as the storm system finally begins to leave our area. Also, some of the snow and rain that falls tonight and tomorrow may be heavy at times. Lighter precipitation is then expected tomorrow night and Thursday.
The highest snow amounts with this storm system are likely going to be in Cascade, Fergus, and Judith Basin Counties, where 4 to 12 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations and 12 to 24+ inches of snow accumulation is expected in the mountains (by Thursday evening).
Elsewhere, up to 5 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the lower elevations, and up to 12 inches of snow accumulation is possible in the mountains (by Thursday evening).
Roads will be slick in some areas, especially at and above mountain pass level. Also, just like with last week's storm, a lot of the snow accumulation is going to be on grassy surfaces. The snow is also going to gradually melt as it accumulates, especially during the daylight hours.
We are also going to have gusty winds around tonight and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times. It is then going to be breezy in some areas on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Lows tonight are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. Highs tomorrow are then going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. Thursday is then going to be the coldest day of the next week as highs are going to be in the 30s in most locations.
On Friday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with some scattered PM rain and snow showers around the Helena area and a few isolated rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana, generally in the mountains. It is also going to be chilly again on Friday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. The temperatures are also going to warm up some this weekend as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s on Saturday, and the 50s and low 60s on Sunday. There is also only going to be a little bit of a breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 15 mph.
We are then going to have a chance to see some rain and mountain snow showers on Monday and Tuesday, especially around the Helena area, as a couple disturbances pass through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and cool temperatures on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s. It is also going to be a bit breezy on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
