After record-breaking temperatures the past few days, more typical temperatures for January returned today as temperatures are in the 30s in most locations this evening (at 5pm), and these temperatures are about 15 to 30 degrees colder than the temperatures were yesterday at this time. It has also been a blustery day today with peak wind gusts between 40 and 60 mph in a lot of locations.
Gusty to strong winds continue tonight east of I-15 as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. Around and west of I-15, there is just going to be a little breeze (5-20 mph) around tonight. For tomorrow, it will continue to be windy in northeastern Montana and eastern portions of north-central Montana (east of a line from Havre to Lewistown) as gusts over 50 mph are possible. Around and west of a line from Havre to Lewistown out to I-15, it will be breezy tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Around and west of I-15, there will be little to no wind tomorrow.
A HIGH WIND WARNING remains in effect for north-central Montana east of I-15 through 5am Friday; for portions of south-central Montana through 5am/12pm Friday; and for eastern Montana through 5pm Friday. Gusts up to 65 mph are possible. This is also going to be a cold wind as it is going to be coming out of the north/northwest.
There are going to be a few snow showers around tonight, generally around the Helena area and in the mountains in central Montana, as the cold front continues to impact our area. Most of the snow showers will taper off by midnight. A quick coating to an inch of accumulation is possible in locations that see this snow. It is also going to be partly cloudy to mostly clear and cold tonight as lows are going to be in the teens and 20s, and wind chills are going to be in the single digits and teens.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Tomorrow will be a chilly day as highs are only going to be in the 30s and mid to upper 20s. It is also going to be partly cloudy to mostly sunny and dry tomorrow as high pressure will begin to build back into our area.
Saturday will be a breezy day as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible. Outside of the wind, we are going to have beautiful weather on Saturday with lots of sunshine, dry conditions, and pleasant temperatures as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s (30s in northeastern Montana).
Another cold front will pass through our area on Sunday bringing colder temperatures along with it as highs are going to be back in the 30s and upper 20s. There are also going to be a few snow showers around on Sunday, generally in the mountains and in northeastern Montana. The wind won’t be too strong on Sunday, but it will be a bit breezy in some areas as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. It is also going to be partly to mostly sunny on Sunday.
High pressure will provide us with nice weather for the beginning of next week as it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and dry on Monday (MLK day) and mostly cloudy and mostly dry on Tuesday. It is also going to be cool outside on these two days as highs are going to be in the 30s and low to mid 40s. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Wednesday, there are going to be some isolated snow showers around and on Thursday there are going to be some scattered snow showers around as a couple disturbances impact the state. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy on these two days. Highs on these two days are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s, and it will be a bit breezy with 10-20 mph sustained winds.
