Thanks to a cold front, it was a lot cooler today than it was over the weekend, it was breezy in some areas, and there were some scattered rain and snow showers around. As we go through this evening, any lingering rain and snow showers will move out of our area and the skies will begin to clear out. Tonight, it will be partly cloudy to mostly clear and mainly dry. The wind will also diminish as we go through this evening, and there will be little to no wind around overnight. It is also going to be cold tonight as lows are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Around Helena, it is going to be mostly cloudy tomorrow and there will be scattered snow and rain showers around, generally from the late morning through the evening and especially in the mountains. In north-central Montana, the cloud cover will increase as we go through tomorrow and it will be mostly dry, just a few isolated rain/snow showers, mainly in Fergus County and Judith Basin County.
It will still be cool tomorrow, but it will be warmer than it was today as highs are going to be in the 40s and upper 30s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy tomorrow, generally in locations east of I-15, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible.
On Wednesday, the cloud cover will increase throughout the day and there will be a few rain and mountain snow showers around during the late afternoon and evening, generally around the Helena area, as a storm system begins to approach our area. It is also going to be a lot warmer on Wednesday as highs are going to be back in the 50s in most locations. There will also be little to no wind on Wednesday.
A larger storm system will impact Montana Wednesday night through Friday with widespread precipitation, cooler temperatures, and gusty winds. There will be scattered rain and snow showers around Wednesday night. On Thursday, precipitation will become more widespread as the day goes on. Precipitation will initially be in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix in the lower elevations, but will switch-over to snow later in the day. Widespread accumulating snow is expected Thursday night, with the snow gradually tapering off as we go through Friday morning/afternoon.
There is still some uncertainty regarding snow totals with this storm system as the exact track of the storm system will determine how much precipitation we receive and how much of the precipitation falls as rain versus snow. Right now, a coating-6” of snow is expected in the lower elevations, while 6-12+” of snow is expected in the mountains.
In the lower elevations, roads will be slick in some areas Thursday evening through Friday morning, so use caution when driving. In the mountains and over some of the mountain passes, be prepared for slick/snow-covered roads at times during these two days.
Cooler temperatures are also expected on Thursday and Friday as highs on these two days are going to be in the 30s and 40s. With high temperatures above freezing in a lot of locations, any snow accumulation we do receive will melt away pretty quickly. It is also going to be gusty on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. There is then going to be a bit of a breeze around on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Beautiful weather will return for Easter weekend as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Saturday will be mostly sunny and dry and Easter Sunday will be partly cloudy with just a few isolated rain and mountain snow showers around. It is also going to be mild this weekend as highs are going to be in the 50s in most locations. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
