A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for all of Glacier County, western and central Pondera County, and western Toole County from 8am Tuesday until 5am Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 40 mph, and wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph are possible.
We are going to have mostly clear skies, dry conditions, and chilly temperatures tonight as lows are going to be in the 20s and low 30s. It is also going to be breezy tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. Elsewhere, it is just going to be a little breezy tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
It is then going to be windy tomorrow and tomorrow night along the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 40 mph, and wind gusts over 60 mph are possible. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, we are going to have increasing wind tomorrow, with widespread gusty winds tomorrow afternoon through tomorrow night 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 diminishing wind on Wednesday, so gusty winds (gusts over 40 mph) during the morning will gradually weaken as the day goes on.
We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures tomorrow as highs are going to range from the mid 40s to the mid 60s. Cooler temperatures are then expected on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s. For tomorrow, we are going to have increasing clouds and dry conditions. On Wednesday, we are going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies with scattered showers around, especially during the afternoon and evening. Precipitation is then likely Wednesday night. In the lower elevations, just like last Wednesday, precipitation will start out as rain, but will gradually mix in with and switch-over to snow as we head into Wednesday evening/night.
On Thanksgiving, in north-central Montana, snow is likely around and south/west of a line from Cut Bank to Great Falls to Lewistown. North and east of this line, a few snow showers are possible on Thanksgiving. Snow is also likely on Thanksgiving around the Helena area and in southern Montana. In western Montana, there will be snow showers around on Thanksgiving. In northeastern Montana, it is going to be mainly dry on Thanksgiving. For central and north-central Montana, a lot of the snow will fall during the morning, with the snow tapering off and the skies even clearing in some locations during the second half of the day.
The highest snow amounts from this storm system are going to be in the mountains and in southern Montana (especially between Bozeman and Billings) where 4 to 12+ inches of snow accumulation is possible by Thursday evening. In central and north-central Montana, a coating to 4 inches of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations that are around and south/west of a line from Cut Bank to Great Falls to Lewistown. North and east of this line, less than 2 inches of snow accumulation is expected, with little to no snow accumulation expected in northeastern Montana.
It is also going to be a lot colder on Thanksgiving as highs are only going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around on Thanksgiving as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
On Black Friday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies with just a few isolated snow showers around, generally during the morning and mainly in the mountains. We are then going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies this weekend with a few isolated snow showers around, generally in locations east of I-15, as a couple weak disturbances pass through our area.
It is also going to be chilly from Friday through Sunday as highs are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s on Friday, and the 30s and low 40s this weekend. There is also going to be a breeze around in some areas this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and slightly warmer temperatures on Monday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. It is also going to be breezy on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.