A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for a lot of central and eastern Montana until 9am Friday. Wind chills may get as low as 20 to 25 below zero.
It is going to be frigid tonight as lows are going to be in the single digits below zero, and wind chills may get as low as 20 to 25 below zero. Once we get past midnight, the wind will start to pick up, with widespread breezy conditions expected in north-central Montana by sunrise (sustained wind speeds between 10 and 20 mph). Little to no wind is expected tonight around the Helena area. The silver lining to the wind tonight is that as the wind picks up, the temperatures will also start to warm up with the lows tonight occurring during the first half of the night in many locations. We are also going to have mostly clear skies tonight.
For tomorrow, we are going to have mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures as highs are going to be in the 20s and mid to upper teens. It is also going to be breezy tomorrow, especially in locations east of I-15, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times. This wind is also going to cause the wind chills to be in the single digits and teens for a lot of the day tomorrow. Around the Helena area, little to no wind is in the forecast for tomorrow.
The temperatures are going to continue to warm up this weekend as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s on Saturday, and the 30s on Sunday. We are also going to have gusty winds around this weekend along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are going to be possible at times. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be breezy this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Valleys, including Helena, will have little to no wind around this weekend. We are also going to have mostly sunny skies on Saturday and partly cloudy skies on Sunday.
On Monday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions. It is also going to be chilly and breezy on Monday as highs are going to be in the 30s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Some isolated rain and snow showers are then possible on Tuesday, generally in the mountains, as a disturbance begins to approach our area. We are then going to have a chance to see some rain and snow showers on Wednesday as this disturbance passes through our area. Some isolated rain and snow showers are then possible on Thanksgiving (Thursday). We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on these three days.
Near average temperatures are also expected from Tuesday through Thursday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s, and Thanksgiving is forecasted to be the warmest of these three days. Breezy conditions are also expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. We are then going to have gusty winds around on Thanksgiving as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
