It felt great outside today as highs were in the 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations. It was also partly cloudy today and it was breezy in some areas, but overall, the wind wasn’t too bad.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Tonight will be partly to mostly cloudy and cool as lows are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s. A few rain and snow showers are possible along the Divide tonight, but most of the precipitation tonight will remain west of the Divide. It is also going to be breezy along the Rocky Mountain Front tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and it will be a little breezy out across the plains tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Tomorrow will be a cloudy day. During the day tomorrow, valley rain and mountain snow is likely along and west of the Continental Divide, while east of the Divide, a few isolated rain showers are possible during the daylight hours, but most locations will remain dry. There are then going to be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around tomorrow evening, generally in western portions of north-central Montana and around the Helena area. It is also going to be mild again tomorrow, although it will be a little cooler than it was today as highs are going to be in the 50s and upper 40s. Not much wind tomorrow, but it will be a little breezy in some areas, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front and in central Montana, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Around Helena, rain and mountain snow showers are likely tomorrow night, and some snow will begin to mix in with the rain in the lower elevations during the second half of the night. Snow and rain showers are then likely Thursday morning, with some scattered snow, graupel, and rain showers around during the afternoon and evening as this disturbance departs our area. It is also going to be cloudy tomorrow night and mostly cloudy on Thursday, with a little clearing during the afternoon and evening.
In north-central Montana, there are going to be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around tomorrow night, with some snow possibly mixing in with the rain in some of the lower elevations during the second half of the night. There are then going to be some scattered rain, graupel, and snow showers around on Thursday, generally in locations east of I-15. It is also going to be cloudy tomorrow night and mostly cloudy on Thursday, with some clearing during the afternoon and evening.
In the mountains, up to 8” of snow is possible through Thursday evening, with up to a foot of snow possible on the highest peaks. Over the mountain passes, including Kings Hill, MacDonald, Marias, and Rogers, a coating-5” of snow is possible through Thursday evening, so use caution when driving. In the lower elevations, most locations will receive little to no snow accumulation, but up to an inch or two of snow is possible around Helena and near the island mountain ranges in central Montana.
Thursday will be a cooler day as highs are going to be back in the 40s and low 50s in most spots. It is also going to be breezy on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
On Friday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and mostly dry, just some isolated rain and snow showers around during the morning, generally in central Montana. It is also going to be cool again on Friday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, it will be gusty on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be breezy on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
This weekend will be a windy one as gusts over 80 mph are possible along the Rocky Mountain Front and gusts over 50 mph are possible east of the Rocky Mountain Front. Sustained wind speeds in a lot of locations this weekend will be between 15 and 35 mph. It is also going to be mild this weekend as highs are going to be in the 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations. Partly to mostly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are also expected this weekend.
As a reminder, Daylight Saving Time will begin at 2am on Sunday, so before you go to bed Saturday night, make sure you set your clocks forward one hour. We are going to lose an hour of sleep this weekend, but at least the sunsets will be after 7pm again! Also, make sure you check your smoke detectors/carbon monoxide detectors to make sure that they are still working.
A wetter and colder weather pattern is then expected next week. On Monday, there are going to be some scattered rain and snow showers around, and on Tuesday, there are going to be scattered snow showers around as a cold front passes through the state. The temperatures are also going to cool down a lot over these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low 50s on Monday and the 30s on Tuesday. It will be windy again on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. Breezy conditions are then expected on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
