A High Wind Warning remains in effect for Glacier County, northwestern Lewis and Clark County, Pondera County, western Teton County, and Toole County until 12am Tuesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 30 and 40 mph, and isolated wind gusts up to 75 mph are possible.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 5am until 11pm Tuesday for north-central Montana (including Great Falls) and from 7am Tuesday until 3pm Wednesday for south-central Montana (including Helena and Bozeman). A coating to 3 inches of snow accumulation is expected in most towns/cities, and this snow will create slick road conditions.
A Wind Chill Advisory is in effect for northeastern Montana from 6am or 5pm Tuesday until 2pm Wednesday. Wind chills as low as 35 below zero are possible.
We are going to continue to have gusty winds around tonight as a cold front begins to pass through our area 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. For tomorrow, the wind is going to gradually weaken from west to east as the day goes on.
This cold front is also going to bring colder temperatures to our area, as once the cold front passes through, the temperatures are going to rapidly drop by about 10 to 20 degrees in less than an hour. As you head out the door Tuesday morning, the temperatures are only going to be in the teens and 20s in most locations, and the temperatures are going to continue to get colder as the day goes on as most locations are only going to be in the single digits and teens by tomorrow afternoon. Lows are then going to be in the single digits above and below zero in most locations Tuesday night. On Wednesday, highs are only going to be in the teens and 20s in most locations.
We are also going to have increasing clouds tonight with light to moderate snow developing during the second half of the night as that cold front begins to pass through our area. There are then going to be areas of light to moderate snow around tomorrow, especially during the morning, as the cold front stalls out over south-central Montana. Tomorrow night, there is going to continue to be some light to moderate snow around in south-central Montana, especially before midnight. In north-central Montana, we are going to have decreasing clouds tomorrow night with just a few isolated snow showers around before midnight. We are then going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions on Wednesday.
In terms of snow accumulation, most towns/cities are going to receive a coating to 2 inches of snow accumulation, although a few isolated locations may pick up 3 inches of snow accumulation. Along the eastern part of the Hi-Line, especially from Havre over towards Glasgow, less than an inch of snow accumulation is expected. In the Rockies as well as a few other mountain ranges in central Montana, up to 6 inches of snow accumulation is possible. Slick road conditions are also expected from later tonight through Wednesday, so please be careful when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
On Thursday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a chance of rain and snow showers, generally during the afternoon and evening, as another disturbance begins to approach our area. There are then going to be scattered snow and rain showers around Thursday night into Friday morning as this disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be warmer on these two days than it is going to be tomorrow and Wednesday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. Gusty winds are also expected on Thursday 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.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. It is also going to be breezy and mild this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and high temperatures are going to be in the 40s and upper 30s in a lot of locations.
We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a few isolated snow and rain showers around on Monday as a disturbance passes by our area. We are also going to continue to have mild temperatures on Monday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 15 mph.
