A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect until 12am Wednesday for all of central Montana. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 35 and 55 mph, and wind gusts up to 75 mph are expected. Isolated wind gusts up to 90 mph are also possible along the Rocky Mountain Front.
A LAKE WIND ADVISORY is in effect for Fort Peck Lake until 6am Tuesday. A HIGH WIND WARNING is also in effect for Phillips County and southern Valley County from 9pm Monday/6am Tuesday until 4am Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 30 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 75 mph are going to be possible at times.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH is in effect for southern Phillips County and southern Valley County from 6am Tuesday until 12am Wednesday. Dry fuel and strong winds will allow any new fire starts to spread rapidly.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for western Glacier County and western Pondera County until 1am Wednesday. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is also in effect for elevations above 5500 feet in Jefferson County, Lewis and Clark County, and western Teton County until 9am Tuesday. 1-4" of snow accumulation is expected in the lower elevations, and 4-8+" of snow accumulation is expected in the higher elevations.
Strong and potentially damaging winds are expected this evening, tonight, and all day tomorrow. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 75 mph are going to be possible at times. Some isolated wind gusts may even get as high as 90 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front. If you are driving a high-profile vehicle or if you are pulling a trailer, consider delaying travel until Wednesday if possible so your vehicle/trailer does not get blown over. These high winds may also move loose objects, damage property, and cause power outages. Whiteout conditions are also possible, especially at and above mountain pass level, so please be careful when traveling. Elevated fire weather conditions are also expected in the plains, so please do your part to not start any new fires.
As we head into Wednesday, we are still going to have gusty winds around, especially in east-central and eastern Montana, but the wind is not going to be nearly as strong as it is going to be tonight and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts are going to be below 55 mph.
There are also going to be scattered rain and snow showers around this evening and tonight, especially before midnight, as a cold front works its way through our area. There are then going to be some scattered areas of snow and rain around tomorrow, tomorrow night, and Wednesday, generally in northeastern Montana (Blaine County, Phillips County, and Valley County) and in the mountains of central Montana, as a storm system continues to impact our area. In the mountains, 1 to 8+ inches of snow accumulation is expected through Wednesday evening, with the highest amounts expected at and above mountain pass level. In northeastern Montana, a coating to 4 inches of snow accumulation is expected through Wednesday evening. This snow is also going to create slippery road conditions, so please be careful when traveling. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies tonight, tomorrow, tomorrow night, and Wednesday.
It is going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations. It is then going to be a lot cooler tomorrow than it was today as highs are only going to be in the 30s and 40s, and when you factor in the wind, it is going to feel like it is in the 20s and 30s for most of the day. The temperatures are then going to warm up a little bit for Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s.
Nice weather is then expected for the end of the work week as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. On Thursday, we are going to have mostly sunny skies, little wind, and mild temperatures as highs are going to be in the upper 50s and low to mid 60s. We are then going to have partly cloudy skies and warm temperatures on Friday as highs are going to be in the upper 60s and low to mid 70s. It is also going to be breezy on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
On Saturday, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with a chance of rain and snow showers as a disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be a lot cooler on Saturday than it is going to be on Friday as highs are going to be in the upper 40s and low to mid 50s. Gusty winds are also expected on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
There are then going to be scattered snow showers around on Sunday, and some scattered snow showers around on Monday as a storm system slowly works its way through our area. The temperatures are also going to cool down a lot over these two days as highs are going to be in the low to mid 40s on Sunday and the 30s on Monday. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
