A DENSE FOG ADVISORY is in effect for portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County until 10pm Tuesday.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for a lot of Montana for Wednesday and Wednesday night.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for portions of southwestern Montana from 11am Wednesday until 12am Thursday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of western Montana until 11am Wednesday and for northeastern Montana from 4am Wednesday until 5am Thursday.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Glacier National Park area until 11pm Wednesday/12am Thursday.
There are going to be scattered areas of snow around tonight, especially after midnight and especially in locations east of I-15 in north-central Montana, as the next disturbance begins to impact our area. A little rain or freezing rain may also mix in with this snow in some areas. For tomorrow, we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with scattered areas of snow, freezing rain, and rain around, mainly along the Rocky Mountain Front and along the Continental Divide as well as along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and in eastern portions of north-central Montana, as this disturbance continues to impact our area. The skies will then clear out and the precipitation will taper off tomorrow night as this disturbance leaves our area. There are also going to be some areas of fog around tonight, and some of this fog may be dense. However, for many, this fog will clear out during the second half of the night as the wind picks up and the temperatures begin to warm up.
In the lower elevations, up to 2” of snow accumulation is possible through early Thursday morning along the Hi-Line, and up to 1” of snow accumulation is possible through early Thursday morning in locations south of the Hi-Line, with most areas receiving a coating or less of snow accumulation. A light glaze of ice accumulation is also possible in the lower elevations. In the Glacier National Park area, 6-18” of snow accumulation is expected through tomorrow night above mountain pass level. In the mountains in central and north-central Montana, up to 6” of snow accumulation is possible through tomorrow night. Be prepared for slippery roads when traveling tonight and tomorrow, especially at and above mountain pass level.
It is also going to be cold tonight as lows tonight are going to be in the single digits, teens, and 20s. It is then going to be warmer tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s in a lot of locations (highs in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s along the eastern half of the Hi-Line).
There was little to no wind around today, but that will change as we head into tomorrow. As we go through tonight, we are going to have increasing wind along the Rocky Mountain Front, in the higher elevations, and in western portions of north-central Montana. It is then going to be very windy tomorrow in central Montana and in western/central portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds in a lot of locations are going to be between 25 and 50 mph, and wind gusts between 60 and 70 mph are possible east of the Rocky Mountain Front, while wind gusts up to 80 mph are possible along the Rocky Mountain Front, with isolated gusts approaching 100 mph. In eastern portions of north-central Montana, it will just be a bit breezy for a good chunk of the daylight hours tomorrow, but strong winds will arrive tomorrow evening and continue into tomorrow night with widespread gusts over 50 mph. This wind will be strong enough to create difficult travel conditions and cause some wind damage, including downed tree limbs/power lines and blowing/flying debris. This wind will also knock over and/or blow holiday decorations away, so take them inside or weigh them down before you go to sleep tonight. The wind will diminish for everyone from west to east as we go through tomorrow night.
We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions on Thursday and Saturday, and partly to mostly cloudy skies with a couple isolated rain/snow showers around on Friday as an upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. Thursday will feature little to no wind, but it will be a bit breezy in some areas on Friday and Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. It is also going to be cooler on Thursday than it is going to be tomorrow as highs are going to be in the teens and 20s along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and highs are going to be in the 30s and low to mid 40s elsewhere. The temperatures are then going to warm back up for Friday and Saturday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s in most locations (highs in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s along the eastern half of the Hi-Line).
On Sunday, there is going to be some snow and rain around, generally in western and southern Montana, with only isolated rain and snow showers expected in north-central Montana. We are also going to have decreasing clouds and pleasant temperatures on Sunday as highs are going to be in the upper 30s, 40s, and low 50s. Gusty winds are also expected in some areas on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
We are then going to have partly cloudy skies, mostly dry conditions, and mild temperatures on Monday as highs are going to be in the upper 30s, 40s, and low 50s. It is also going to be windy in some areas on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph.
On Christmas Eve, we are going to have partly cloudy skies with a few rain and snow showers around, generally around the Helena area. It is also going to be mild again as highs are going to be in the 40s and low to mid 50s.
