A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for northern Montana east of the Continental Divide until 5pm/11pm Tuesday. 1 to 6 inches of new snow accumulation is expected in most locations.
There are going to be areas of snow around tonight and tomorrow as a cold front passes through our area. This snow is then going to taper off tomorrow night. During the day tomorrow, locations east of I-15 and locations along/just east of the Continental Divide will see the most consistent snow.
1 to 6 inches of snow accumulation is expected in most locations in north-central Montana by Wednesday morning, with a few locations receiving less/more than this range. Around the Helena area, less than an inch of snow accumulation is expected. Also, there is going to be a bullseye for snow in the lower elevations where 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulation is expected. As of Monday evening, this bullseye is forecasted to be over southern Blaine County, far eastern Chouteau County, northern/eastern Fergus County, and southern Phillips County. This snow is also going to create hazardous driving conditions for the Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening commutes, so please be careful when driving to/from work and school.
It is also going to be cold tonight and tomorrow in north-central Montana as lows tonight are going to be in the single digits and highs tomorrow are going to be in the single digits and low teens. Around the Helena area, it is going to be chilly tonight and tomorrow as lows tonight are going to be in the mid to upper teens and low 20s, and highs tomorrow are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low 30s. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. We are then going to have gusty winds around tomorrow along the Divide, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and in some of the mountain ranges in central Montana as gusts over 40 mph are going to be possible at times.
On Wednesday, we are going to have decreasing clouds with some lingering snow showers around along the Divide. We are then going to have mostly sunny skies and dry conditions on Thursday. It is also going to be warmer on these two days than it is going to be tomorrow as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. We are also going to have gusty to strong winds around on these two days along the Rocky Mountain Front (gusts between 40 and 60 mph), and we are going to have gusty winds around on these two days in portions of central and north-central Montana (gusts up to 40 mph). This wind is also going to cause there to be areas of blowing snow around.
On Friday and Saturday, there are going to be some scattered snow showers around, generally in the mountains and around the Helena area, as a couple disturbances pass through our area. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies and chilly temperatures on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s. It is also going to be breezy on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
We are then going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Sunday with some isolated snow showers around, generally during the second half of the day, as another disturbance begins to approach our area. There are then going to be some scattered snow showers around on Monday as this disturbance passes through our area. The temperatures are also going to cool down some over these two days as highs are going to be in the 20s on Sunday and the upper teens and low 20s on Monday.
