A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and adjacent locations until 8pm Wednesday.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for portions of Judith Basin County and the Judith Gap area down to Big Timber until 3pm/5pm Thursday.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for part of northeastern Montana until 8pm Thursday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for part of northeastern Montana until 8pm Thursday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of central and north-central Montana from 12am/9am until 3pm/11pm Thursday.
A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for a lot of central and eastern Montana from Thursday afternoon through Saturday morning.
It was very windy again today along the Rocky Mountain Front, while we had gusty winds elsewhere. Tonight, it will continue to be windy along the Rocky Mountain Front and out to I-15 as well as in central Montana. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, gusts over 70 mph are possible. In central Montana, gusts over 50 mph are possible. Elsewhere the wind will increase as we go through tonight. Widespread windy conditions (10-30 mph sustained winds) are expected tomorrow morning as a cold front begins to push through our area. The wind will then die down from north to south during the afternoon and evening.
There were areas of snow, freezing rain, and rain around throughout the day today in north-central Montana east of I-15 and along the Divide/Rocky Mountain Front. As we go through tonight, rain/snow is likely along the Divide, and there will continue to be areas of rain around east of I-15 in north-central Montana. Some freezing rain and snow is also possible tonight, generally along the Hi-Line.
Here is the detailed forecast:
A strong, arctic cold front will push southward through north-central and central Montana tomorrow. Temperatures will start out in the mid to upper 30s, 40s, and low 50s during the morning, but will fall into the teens and 20s by sunset. Precipitation will accompany this front. Rain showers will transition over to snow showers from north to south as we go through the day, with the Helena area seeing the transition last (likely during the evening).
There are then going to be some areas of light to moderate snow around tomorrow night, especially after midnight. Friday will then be a snowy day in north-central Montana and some of the snow that falls may be heavy at times. Around Helena, snow is likely during the morning, but the snow will taper off and possibly even mix in with some rain as we head into the afternoon and evening. Snow will continue Friday night, but will taper off during the second half of the night.
This will likely be a good snow event for north-central Montana as 3-12” of snow is expected for most, but there may be a few areas east of I-15, especially in Chouteau County and Fergus County, that may receive over a foot of snow. Around the Helena area, due to warmer air sticking around, less snow is expected as most locations will just receive a coating-4” of snow. This snow will create difficult travel conditions later Thursday through Saturday morning. A light glaze of ice is also possible throughout much of north-central Montana, while significant icing is possible in northeastern Montana tonight and tomorrow. In northeastern Montana, travel will be extremely dangerous tonight and tomorrow morning. The ice may also cause some power outages.
Friday will be a frigid day as highs are going to be in the 0s and 10s. The Helena area will miss this cool-down though as highs will remain in the 30s and low 40s.
Saturday will be another cold day with highs in the 0s along the Hi-Line and the teens and 20s south of the Hi-Line. Helena will have pleasant temperatures again with highs in the 30s and low 40s. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Saturday with a few lingering snow showers around during the morning, especially in the mountains.
Warmer air returns for Sunday and early next week as highs are going to be back in the 30s and 40s in most locations. A chinook wind is also expected Sunday and early next week as gusts over 60 mph are possible along the Rocky Mountain Front and gusts over 40 mph will be possible out across the plains. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions on Sunday and Monday. There are then going to be a few rain and snow showers around on Tuesday and there will be scattered rain and snow showers around on Wednesday.
