It has been a very windy day today as peak wind gusts were between 45 and 70 mph in a lot of locations, with some spots recording wind gusts over 70 mph during the day today, especially along/near the Rocky Mountain Front.
It will continue to be very windy tonight, and a HIGH WIND WARNING remains in effect for all of north-central Montana through 8am/11am Friday. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, gusts of 90-100+ mph are possible through tomorrow morning, while elsewhere, gusts of 60-70 mph are possible through tomorrow morning. During the second half of tonight, the wind will begin to diminish along and just south of the Hi-Line as a cold front begins to pass through our area.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Strong winds are expected again tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front and the Continental Divide as gusts up to 75 mph are possible. It is also going to be windy tomorrow in Glacier County and in central Montana, including around Great Falls, Stanford, and Helena, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. Elsewhere, the wind will be weaker tomorrow than it was today as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Lighter wind is then expected for everyone on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph in most locations (strongest along the Divide/Rocky Mountain Front).
In north-central Montana, it is going to be partly cloudy tonight and mostly cloudy tomorrow. Most of tonight will be dry, but a few snow showers are possible along the Hi-Line as we get closer to sunrise and there will be some snow around in Glacier National Park tonight. Tomorrow, there will be scattered snow showers around, generally along the Hi-Line and especially during the afternoon and evening, as a cold front passes through our area. This cold front will stall out south of the Hi-Line, keeping central Montana dry.
There are then going to be scattered areas of snow around tomorrow night, generally along the Hi-Line and in locations east of I-15 in north-central Montana. On Saturday, it is going to be mostly to partly cloudy with a few lingering snow showers around during the morning in locations east of I-15.
The bulk of the snow accumulation with this disturbance will fall along the Hi-Line and in northeastern Montana. This is where 1-5” of snow is expected through midday Saturday, and a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for these areas from 8am Friday until 11am Saturday. In the Glacier National Park area, 2-6” of snow is expected at/below pass level and up to 10” of snow is possible above pass level, and a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for this area through 2am Saturday. There will also be an area of higher snow (3-8”) in Blaine County and southwestern Phillips County, specifically around the Little Rockies, and this is where a WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect from 8a Friday until 11am Saturday. Elsewhere, <1” of snow is expected. Roads will be slick in some areas, especially tomorrow evening through Saturday morning, so please be careful when driving.
This disturbance will not impact the Helena area. Instead, Helena will continue to have nice weather through Saturday with mostly clear skies at night and partly to mostly sunny skies during the day. It will also be dry.
Beautiful weather is then expected Sunday through Tuesday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. On these three days, it is going to be mostly sunny and dry. The temperatures will also quickly warm back up over these three days as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s on Sunday (30s along the Hi-Line east of I-15); the 40s and 50s on Monday; and the upper 40s, 50s, and low 60s on Tuesday. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around in some areas on Monday and Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Wednesday, it is going to be mostly cloudy and some lower elevation rain and mountain snow showers are possible later in the day around Helena as a disturbance begins to impact our area. It will also be breezy and mild on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph, and highs are going to be in the 50s.
