A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for a lot of the mountains in western Montana above 6500 feet from 6am/12pm/6pm Thursday until 6am Friday.
A FLASH FLOOD WATCH is in effect for the Canyon Ferry area as well as the Big Belt, Bridger, and Castle mountains from 9am Thursday until 12am Friday.
Showers and thunderstorms are likely this evening, tonight, tomorrow, and tomorrow night in central and western Montana as a storm system passes through our area. In eastern Montana, there are going to be scattered showers and thunderstorms around from this evening through tomorrow night. A couple of the thunderstorms that we see this evening and tonight may also be severe with damaging winds (58+ mph) and/or large hail (1+” in diameter). Some severe thunderstorms with damaging winds (58+ mph), large hail (1+” in diameter), and/or a tornado are then expected tomorrow afternoon/evening in eastern Montana. Heavy rainfall and frequent lightning are also possible with all severe and non-severe thunderstorms that we see tonight and tomorrow. There are also going to be areas of moderate to heavy rainfall around tonight and tomorrow, and this heavier rainfall could lead to some ponding on the roadways and minor flooding on and around burn scars.
We are also going to have cloudy/hazy skies tonight and overcast skies with decreasing haze from west to east tomorrow. We are then going to have decreasing clouds on Friday with scattered showers around, generally during the morning and especially in locations east of I-15, as this storm system finally leaves our area.
This storm system is going to bring beneficial precipitation to central and western Montana as most locations will receive between .5” and 1.5” of precipitation through Friday evening, but some locations may receive up to or over 2” of precipitation, especially in central Montana around the Big Belt and Little Belt mountains. Lower precipitation amounts are expected through Friday evening in eastern Montana, with many locations receiving less than .25” of precipitation. However, there will be some locations in eastern Montana that see higher precipitation amounts due to heavy rainfall from thunderstorms. It is also going to be cold enough for some snow in the mountains above 6500 feet, and a few to several inches of snow accumulation is possible, especially in the mountains in southwestern Montana.
We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures tomorrow as highs are going to range from the low 50s to the mid 70s, with the warmest temperatures in northeastern Montana. It is then going to be cool for everyone on Friday as highs are going to be in the 60s in most locations. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around in some areas on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Gusty winds are then expected on Friday, especially in locations east of I-15, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
Beautiful weather is then expected this weekend as we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions. It is also going to be warmer this weekend than it is going to be tomorrow and Friday as highs are going to be in the 70s in most locations. There is also going to be a breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
We are then going to have mostly cloudy skies on Monday with some scattered showers and thunderstorms around, generally around Helena and in the mountains, as a disturbance passes through our area. There are then going to be widespread showers and a few thunderstorms around on Tuesday and Wednesday as another storm system passes through our area. We are also going to have overcast skies on these two days. The temperatures are also going to cool down some early next week as highs are going to be in the 70s and mid to upper 60s on Monday and the 60s and mid to upper 50s in most locations on Tuesday and Wednesday.
