A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for a lot of north-central and northeastern Montana until midday Thursday.
A BLIZZARD WARNING is in effect for western Glacier County and western Pondera County from 5am Thursday until 5am Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for Fergus County and portions of Judith Basin County until 5am Thursday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Cut Bank area and the southern Rocky Mountain Front from 5am/5pm Thursday until 5am Saturday.
It was extremely cold last night, and multiple locations set new record low temperatures for February 19th. It is going to continue to be really cold tonight, but it won’t be as cold as it was last night as lows are going to be in the -10s and -20s in north-central Montana, and wind chills are going to be in the -10s, -20s, and -30s. In central Montana, including around Helena and Lewistown, lows tonight are going to be in the 0s and 10s. Also, in central Montana and in western portions of north-central Montana, the low temperatures tonight will occur this evening/early tonight, with the temperatures rising as the night goes on, including in Great Falls, Helena, and Lewistown.
Snow is also likely tonight around Helena, especially before midnight, as a disturbance passes through our area, and a coating-2” of accumulation is expected in the lower elevations, with a couple inches of accumulation possible in the mountains. In north-central Montana, there are going to be some isolated snow showers around tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and in Cascade/Fergus/Judith Basin Counties, but most locations will be dry, and little to no accumulation is expected.
We are also going to have increasing wind tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and it is going to be breezy tonight in central Montana (specifically around the Little Belts and in Fergus/Judith Basin Counties) as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. This wind will cause there to be blowing/drifting snow in these areas, and whiteout conditions are possible at times. Elsewhere, it is going to be a little breezy tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
For tomorrow, we are going to have decreasing clouds with a few isolated snow showers around in central Montana during the morning. It is also going to be A LOT warmer tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s in a lot of locations (teens for highs along the eastern half of the Hi-Line). In some areas, it is going to be as much as 70° warmer tomorrow afternoon than it was this morning. We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies and pleasant temperatures on Friday as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
Gusty to strong winds are also expected tomorrow and Friday along the Rocky Mountain Front as gusts up to 60 mph are possible, and this wind will cause there to be significant blowing and drifting snow. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, ground blizzard conditions are expected, which will make travel difficult to impossible. Some road closures are possible, especially in Glacier County. It is also going to be gusty tomorrow and Friday along the Divide west of Helena and around Cut Bank as gusts up to 50 mph are possible. This wind will also cause there to be blowing/drifting snow in these areas, and whiteout conditions are possible at times.
Elsewhere, it is going to be a little breezy tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph, and it is going to be breezy on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. There will still be some blowing snow in these areas, but it won’t be as widespread or as impactful.
It is then going to be very windy this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible, with even stronger wind expected along the Rocky Mountain Front. It is also going to be mild this weekend as highs are going to be in the upper 30s and low to mid 40s on Saturday, and the 40s and low 50s on Sunday. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions on Saturday. We are then going to have mostly cloudy skies on Sunday with some isolated rain and snow showers around, generally in the mountains, as a disturbance passes through our area.
It is going to remain mild next week as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s on Monday and the 40s and upper 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday. It is also going to continue to be gusty/windy early next week as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph on Monday and 10 and 30 mph on Tuesday. There is then just going to be a bit of a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
We are also going to have partly cloudy skies on Monday with some scattered rain/snow around Helena and a few isolated rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana. There is then going to be scattered lower elevation rain (possibly mixing in with snow in spots) and mountain snow around on Tuesday as a disturbance passes through our area. We are then going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions on Wednesday.
