A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for a lot of north-central Montana, most of northeastern Montana, and the Helena area until 11am/5pm Wednesday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for Glacier County, Liberty County, western/central Pondera County, and Toole County until 11am Wednesday.
A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of north-central and central Montana until 11am Wednesday.
There are going to continue to be areas of snow around tonight, especially along the Hi-Line and in locations west of I-15. There are then going to be more areas of snow around tomorrow, but this snow will gradually taper off from west to east as we go through the day. A band of heavier snow is also going to be working its way eastward tomorrow, impacting places like Great Falls and Helena around sunrise, then impacting Lewistown during the late morning. Within this heavier band of snow, expect low visibility, quickly deteriorating road conditions, and snowfall rates of .5” to 1” an hour. Skies will also clear out some as we head into the afternoon and evening, so most of us will get to see some sunshine later tomorrow.
A lot of the snow accumulation is now done with, but a coating to 5” of new snow is possible in north-central and central Montana through tomorrow evening. Roads are also going to continue to be slick/snow-covered tonight and tomorrow, so please be careful when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go. The morning commute will also be very difficult in some areas tomorrow due to that heavier band of snow, which right now will likely be impacting the Great Falls and Helena areas as you head off to work and school.
It is also going to be bitterly cold again tonight as lows are going to be in the -0s and -10s, and wind chills are going to be in the -10s, -20s, and -30s. It is then going to be a touch warmer tomorrow in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the -0s and 0s. Around Helena, it will be a lot warmer tomorrow as highs are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s.
It is also going to be gusty tomorrow along/just east of the Divide and in the mountains as gusts up to 40 mph are possible, and this will cause there to be blowing/drifting snow. Whiteout conditions are also possible tomorrow. Due to this wind, travel will likely be very difficult tomorrow over Kings Hill Pass, Marias Pass, MacDonald Pass, and Rogers Pass, as well as along I-15 from south of Helena to Monida Pass, so please be careful when driving. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around tomorrow in eastern portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph, and this wind will also cause there to be some blowing/drifting snow.
We are then going to have nicer weather on Thursday as we are going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies and warmer temperatures as highs are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s in most locations. It is also going to be drier on Thursday as there are only going to be a few snow showers around, generally in the mountains.
Another round of light to moderate snow is then expected on Friday as another disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be very cold on Friday as highs are going to be in the single digits and teens.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions on Saturday, and partly to mostly cloudy skies with some scattered snow around on Sunday, especially during the PM hours. It is also going to be a bit warmer, but still cold this weekend as highs are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s. There is also going to be some wind around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There is then going to be some more scattered light snow around on Monday and Tuesday as a couple disturbances pass through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and much colder temperatures on these two days as highs are going to be back in the single digits and low to mid teens.
