Good Morning and Happy Thursday! Thanks to an upper-level ridge, we have had beautiful weather for the past few days, but an active weather pattern returns today as the upper-level ridge moves away from our area and as an upper-level trough begins to dig into the Pacific Northwest.
Here is today's forecast:
Today, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and there are going to be scattered showers and thunderstorms around, especially during the afternoon and evening. Tomorrow, it is going to be mostly cloudy to overcast and there are going to be scattered showers and thunderstorms around, generally during the afternoon and evening. Both days will feature plenty of dry time, but have a rain jacket handy if you are going to be outdoors at all and keep an eye to the sky as well.
It is also going to be mild again today and tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 70s and upper 60s in most locations. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around today and tomorrow along the Divide, along the eastern half of the Hi-Line, and in eastern portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Elsewhere, there is only going to be a little breeze around the next two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 15 mph.
On Saturday, in north-central Montana, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around, especially during the afternoon and evening. A few of the thunderstorms that develop on Saturday in northeastern Montana and eastern portions of north-central Montana may be severe with damaging winds (58+ mph) and/or large hail (1+” in diameter).
Around Helena, it is going to be mostly cloudy to overcast on Saturday and there are going to be scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms around, generally during the afternoon/evening. Although there will be scattered showers and thunderstorms around, Saturday will be the drier and nicer day of the weekend. The temperatures will also begin to cool down on Saturday as highs are going to be in the 60s and low to mid 70s in most locations.
Sunday and Monday will be cool, wet, and gusty as the upper-level trough slowly works its way through our area. Highs on these two days are only going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s, so it will be about 10-20+° cooler than it will be today. Gusty winds are also expected on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are possible, with the strongest wind in north-central Montana.
There are also going to be widespread rain showers around on these two days, so have the rain jacket handy if you are going to be outdoors at all. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible. It will also be cold enough in the mountains that there will be some snow on these two days, mainly above 6000 feet, and light to moderate snow accumulations are possible.
From today through Tuesday morning, a good amount of moisture is expected all throughout Montana. Right now, it looks like most of the state will receive .5”-1.5” of rain through Tuesday morning, with localized areas seeing higher amounts. Some of the mountains may receive 2+” of precipitation through Tuesday morning. This moisture is really needed and will help to continue to delay fire season.
Drier conditions are expected on Tuesday and Wednesday, although there will still be some isolated showers and thunderstorms around. It is also going to be partly to mostly sunny on these two days. The temperatures will warm back up as we head into the middle of next week as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s on Tuesday and the 70s on Wednesday. There is also going to be a breeze around on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Have a tremendous Thursday!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
