A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the mountains in central and southwestern Montana from 2pm Friday until 8am Saturday.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for locations between the Divide and I-15 in north-central Montana, part of Cascade County, and part of Judith Basin County from 8pm Saturday until 2pm/5pm Sunday.
We are going to have mostly clear skies and mainly dry conditions tonight. It is also going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the 20s in most locations. We are also going to have diminishing wind this evening, with just a little breeze around overnight, although it will remain breezy throughout the night along the Rocky Mountain Front.
For tomorrow, we are going to have increasing clouds with developing rain/snow during the afternoon and evening in central Montana, including around Helena and Lewistown. There are then going to be areas of rain and snow around tomorrow night, generally in central Montana, including around Helena and Lewistown, and in northeastern Montana, including around Glasgow, as a disturbance passes through our area. Around Great Falls and Havre, some rain and snow is possible tomorrow evening/night, but the bulk of the precipitation with this storm will remain south and east of a line from Great Falls to Havre. North and west of this line it will be mostly dry tomorrow evening/night. We are then going to have decreasing clouds on Saturday with a few areas of snow and rain around during the morning, mainly in central and northeastern Montana, as this disturbance leaves our area.
In lower elevation locations that see some snow from this disturbance, light snow accumulations of a coating to 3 or 4 inches are possible. In the mountains, 2 to 8 inches of snow accumulation is possible, with isolated higher amounts. The bulk of the snow accumulation with this storm system is going to miss north-central Montana though as most of north-central Montana will see little to no snow accumulation.
We are also going to get a much needed break from the wind tomorrow! It is then going to be windy along the Rocky Mountain Front on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and it is going to be breezy in some areas east of the Rocky Mountain Front on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. The temperatures are also going to cool down some over these two days as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s on Friday, and the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s on Saturday.
On Sunday, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a few rain and snow showers around, generally in the mountains, as another disturbance begins to impact our area. It is also going to be very windy on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. We are also going to have warmer temperatures on Sunday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s.
There are then going to be some scattered snow showers around the Helena area on Monday and we are going to have mostly dry conditions in north-central Montana on Monday as another disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and cooler temperatures on Monday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations. Gusty winds are also expected on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible.
We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday as high pressure is going to build back into our area. It is also going to be breezy in some areas on these three days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. The temperatures are also going to warm up some over these three days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low 40s on Tuesday, the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s on Wednesday, and the mid to upper 40s and low 50s on Thursday.
