A snowstorm impacted Montana from Thursday through Saturday night. Some locations didn’t receive much snow from this storm, while other locations were hammered. Locations in Fergus County and Judith Basin County received the most snow, with several locations picking up over two feet! Great Falls received 11.7” of snow, making this the biggest snowstorm of the winter.
The snow is in the past though as is the cold. Temperatures today warmed back up into the 40s in a lot of locations. The warmer temperatures were accompanied by gusty to strong winds, with the strongest wind along the Rocky Mountain Front. Deep Creek in Glacier County recorded a peak wind gust of 92 mph!
Here is the detailed forecast:
The wind will continue to increase from west to east as we go through tonight and into tomorrow. It is going to be very windy tonight and tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front and around the Cut Bank area as gusts up to 85 mph are possible. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, it is also going to be windy tonight and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts are going to be between 50 and 70 mph. This wind will be coming out of the west/southwest in most locations. A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for most of north-central Montana and part of northeastern Montana through Thursday evening.
The Helena valley and the Banana Belt will be spared from the stronger wind tonight and tomorrow as it is just going to be a bit breezy with sustained wind speeds between 10 and 20 mph.
There are also going to be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around this evening and tonight, generally before midnight and generally in central Montana and western portions of north-central Montana, as a disturbance passes through the state. Some of the rain that falls may be briefly heavy and this rain will lead to more slush and ponding on the roadways, so use caution when driving. It is also going to be mostly cloudy to overcast tonight. Mild temperatures are also expected tonight as lows are going to be in the 30s and low 40s in most locations (mid to upper 20s along the eastern half of the Hi-Line).
Tomorrow will be even warmer than today was as highs are going to be in the 50s and low to mid 60s. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy and mostly dry tomorrow, just a few isolated rain showers around, generally during the morning.
It will continue to be very windy along the Rocky Mountain Front Wednesday through Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 40 mph, and wind gusts over 70 mph are possible. East of the Rocky Mountain Front in north-central Montana, it will continue to be windy Wednesday through Friday as sustained wind speeds in a lot of locations are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are expected at times. The Helena Valley and Banana Belt will continue to be sheltered from the stronger wind on these three days, but it will be a bit breezy on Wednesday and Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. It is then going to be gusty on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 25 mph.
The temperatures will continue to warm up for the middle and end of the work week as highs are going to be in the 60s and low 70s on Wednesday and the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s on Thursday and Friday. Some locations may tie or set a new record high temperature on one or multiple of these days. Parlty to mostly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are also expected on these three days as an upper-level ridge will be in control of our weather. The only precipitation will be in the Glacier area and along the Rocky Mountain Front where there will be a few rain showers Wednesday and Friday.
A cold front will pass through Montana on Saturday bringing scattered rain and mountain snow showers as well as cooler temperatures back to our area as highs are going to be back in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s. Some snow may also mix in with the rain at times along the Hi-Line later on Saturday. It is also going to be breezy on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and this wind will be a colder wind as it will be coming out of the west-northwest.
Sunday and Monday will be partly to mostly cloudy and mostly dry as high pressure will once again be in control of our weather. It is also going to be mild and a bit breezy on these two days as highs are going to be in the 50s and low 60s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
