A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of southwestern Montana from 3am until 12pm Saturday.
We are going to have decreasing wind this evening, with little to no wind around overnight. It is also going to be cool tonight as lows are going to be in the 30s and low 40s in most locations. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to overcast skies tonight with some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around in central Montana, including around Helena and Lewistown. Most of this shower activity will occur after midnight.
For tomorrow, we are going to have mostly to partly cloudy skies with rain and mountain snow showers around Helena, especially during the morning, and some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around in north-central Montana, especially during the morning and generally in the mountains and in locations east of I-15.
There are then going to be scattered areas of snow/rain around tomorrow night, especially after midnight. As we go through tomorrow night, the snow levels will drop down to the valleys/plains, so the rain will switch-over to snow in most locations. On Sunday, there are going to be some scattered areas of snow/rain around during the morning and there are going to be some scattered snow/graupel/rain showers around during the afternoon/evening. We are also going to have mostly to partly cloudy skies on Sunday.
Across the plains, precipitation amounts will generally be <.25” in most locations. In central and northeastern Montana, including around Glasgow, Helena, and Lewistown, that’s where precipitation amounts will be a bit higher as .1” to .5” of precipitation is expected. In the mountains, up to 1” of precipitation is possible this weekend, with the highest amounts expected in the mountains in central Montana.
Some of the precipitation this weekend will fall as snow in the lower elevations, while the precipitation will mainly be in the form of snow in the mountains. In the lower elevations, light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible, but most locations will receive little (a coating) to no snow accumulation. In the lower elevations near the mountains, including around Lewistown, in the Dearborn, south of Helena along I-15, and along Highway 87/200 from Belt to Stanford, that’s where up to 4” of snow is possible. In the mountains, up to 12” of snow is possible.
Roads should primarily just be wet tonight and tomorrow, but roads will be slick in some areas tomorrow night and Sunday morning, especially at and above mountain pass level, so please use caution when traveling. There are also going to be areas of low visibility tomorrow night and Sunday morning due to the combination of gusty winds and falling snow.
Gusty winds are also expected tomorrow afternoon/evening around Helena and in western/central portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. This wind will then expand eastward as we go through tomorrow night. On Sunday, it is going to be windy in eastern/central portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. In western portions of north-central Montana and around Helena, it is just going to be a bit breezy on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. This is also going to be a cool breeze as the wind is going to be coming out of the west or northwest in most locations.
It is also going to be cooler tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to range from the mid 40s to the mid 60s. Sunday will then be a cool day as highs are only going to be in the 40s and low 50s in most locations.
The temperatures will quickly warm back up early next week as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s on Monday and the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s on Tuesday. We are also going to have mostly sunny skies and mostly dry conditions on Monday and partly cloudy skies and dry conditions on Tuesday as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. There is also going to be a good breeze around on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
On Wednesday, there are going to be a few rain and mountain snow showers around, especially during the afternoon/evening, and there are going to be some isolated snow/rain showers around on Thursday, generally during the morning, as a disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Wednesday and partly cloudy skies on Thursday.
Cooler temperatures are also expected on these two days as highs are going to be in the 50s and low to mid 60s on Wednesday and the mid to upper 40s and low to mid 50s on Thursday. There is also going to be a breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
We are then going to have nice weather on Friday as we are going to have mostly sunny skies, mainly dry conditions, and pleasant temperatures as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s. There is also only going to be a little breeze around on Friday.
