We are going to have increasing clouds and cool temperatures tonight as lows are going to be in the 20s and low 30s in most locations. There is also going to be a little breeze around tonight in some areas as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
For tomorrow (Christmas Eve), we are going to have mostly cloudy skies and mild temperatures as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s. It is also going to be a bit breezy tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front and in portions of the plains as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There is then going to be some rain/snow around tomorrow night in southwestern Montana, including around Helena, as a disturbance passes through our area. North-central Montana will mainly miss out on this precipitation, although isolated rain and snow showers are possible. In the mountains around Helena, a coating to 3” of snow accumulation is expected. In the lower elevations around Helena, little to no snow accumulation is expected, but the lower elevations in southwestern Montana, including Butte, Bozeman, and Dillon, may pick up an inch or two of snow by Christmas morning.
We are then going to have beautiful weather on Christmas Day as the skies will clear out during the morning, resulting in lots of sunshine for most of the day. It is also going to feel nice outside on Christmas as highs are going to be in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, gusty winds are expected on Christmas as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be a bit breezy in some areas on Christmas as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be some scattered rain and snow showers around from Thursday through Saturday as a few disturbances pass through our area. A lot of this precipitation will fall in the mountains, but there will be a few rain/snow showers around in the lower elevations as well. The bigger impact from these disturbances is going to be the wind though as gusty winds are expected on these three days. Sustained wind speeds in a lot of locations are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible, with a few gusts possibly approaching 60 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front. We are also going to have overcast skies on Thursday and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Friday and Saturday. It is also going to be mild on these three days as highs are going to be in the 40s in most locations.
On Sunday, we are going to have increasing clouds with rain/snow developing during the afternoon and evening in central Montana as a stronger storm system begins to approach our area. There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around Sunday night and Monday as this storm system passes through Montana. The temperatures are also going to cool down some between Sunday and Monday as highs on Sunday are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s and highs on Monday are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s.
As of right now, a cooler and wetter weather pattern is expected next week, and it does look like this cooler and wetter weather will stick around through at least the middle of January.
