A WIND CHILL WARNING is in effect for western Montana until 11am Saturday; for south-central and southeastern Montana until 11am Sunday; for central and north-central Montana until 5pm Sunday; and for northeastern Montana until 11am Monday. Wind chills as low as -30° to -65° are possible.
A WIND CHILL ADVISORY is in effect for portions of southwestern Montana until 11am Saturday/5pm Sunday. Wind chills as low as -20° to -40° are possible.
Record cold temperatures are likely tonight as lows are going to be in the -30s and -40s, and record cold temperatures are possible tomorrow night as lows are going to be in the -20s, -30s, and -40s. It is also going to be frigid during the daylight hours tomorrow and Sunday as highs tomorrow are going to be in the -10s and low -20s in north-central Montana and the -0s and -10s in central Montana, and highs on Sunday are going to be in the -10s in north-central Montana and the 0s and -0s in central Montana.
It is also going to be a little breezy tonight and tomorrow in eastern Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. Elsewhere, the wind will be light for the entire weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 15 mph. Even though the wind this weekend is going to be on the lighter side, dangerous and life threatening wind chills are still expected as wind chills as low as -50° to -70° are possible in all locations within north-central and central Montana. Please try and stay indoors this weekend if you can as this is life-threatening cold that we are going to be dealing with, and frostbite can occur immediately if you are outdoors at all.
We are also going to have decreasing clouds tonight and lots of sunshine tomorrow as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. We are then going to have partly cloudy to mostly clear skies tomorrow night and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Sunday as a weak disturbance passes through our area. A few scattered snow showers are also possible Sunday afternoon/evening in central Montana (including around the Helena area) with the passage of this disturbance.
The temperatures are then going to warm back up some early next week as highs are going to be in the -0s and 0s on Monday, and the teens and 20s in most locations on Tuesday. The wind is also going to pick back up early next week, with breezy conditions expected on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. On Monday, we are going to have mainly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions. We are then going to have overcast skies on Tuesday with a chance of snow showers, generally during the evening and generally along the Hi-Line and in the mountains.
Snow is then likely on Wednesday as a disturbance passes through our area, and there are going to be scattered areas of snow around on Thursday, generally during the morning and especially along the Rocky Mountain Front and in central Montana, as this disturbance leaves our area. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies on Wednesday and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Thursday.
There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. It is also going to be cold on Wednesday and Thursday as highs on Wednesday are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s, and highs on Thursday are going to be in the single digits and teens.
We are then going to have a chance to see some more snow on Friday, mainly along the Rocky Mountain Front and in central Montana. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and warmer temperatures on Friday as highs are going to be in the teens and 20s.
