A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for a lot of the mountains in western and central Montana until 2pm/5pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for most of north-central and northeastern Montana until 11am/12pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and the Glacier area until 5pm/9pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for a lot of the lower elevations in western Montana until 11pm Friday.
Snow will become more widespread as we go through this evening. There are then going to be areas of snow around throughout the night tonight. Some of the snow that falls this evening and tonight will be heavy at times. Rain and freezing rain will also mix in with this snow in some areas, especially along the I-15 corridor between Great Falls and Helena.
There will continue to be scattered snow showers around tomorrow, generally during the morning/evening and generally in the mountains and in locations east of I-15 in north-central Montana. We are also going to have mostly cloudy to cloudy skies tomorrow.
Here is the detailed forecast:
In the mountains, another 6-24” of snow is expected through Sunday morning. In the lower elevations, a coating-4” of snow is expected through Sunday morning. Along Highway 87/200 from Belt to Lewistown, 3-7” of snow is expected through Sunday morning. Travel will be difficult tonight and tomorrow in the mountain and over the mountain passes. Roads will also be slick/snow-covered tonight in some of the lower elevations, so please be careful when driving.
Gusty winds are also expected tonight and tomorrow along the Divide, along the Rocky Mountain Front, and in/around the higher terrain in central Montana as gusts over 50 mph are possible. This wind will cause reductions in visibility. Elsewhere, there is just going to be a little breeze around tonight and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Lows tonight are going to be in the teens along the Hi-Line and the 20s and low to mid 30s south of the Hi-Line. Tomorrow will be a cold day along the Hi-Line as highs are only going to be in the teens. In the rest of north-central Montana, it is going to be chilly tomorrow as highs are going to be in the 20s and low 30s. Around Helena, highs tomorrow are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
Warmer temperatures will return for most of us on Sunday as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s. In northeastern Montana, it will be cold again on Sunday as highs are going to be in the teens and low 20s. There is also going to be a good breeze around on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies on Sunday with a few snow showers around during the morning along the eastern half of the Hi-Line and a few rain/snow showers around during the afternoon/evening in central Montana and western portions of north-central Montana, generally in the higher terrain.
Monday will be a gusty day with 10-30 mph sustained winds and gusts over 40 mph. Outside of the wind, we are going to have nice weather on Monday with partly to mostly cloudy skies, mostly dry conditions, and mild temperatures as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s.
Tuesday will be a windy day as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and gusts over 50 mph are possible. It is also going to be unseasonably warm on Tuesday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s. There will also be rain and mountain snow showers around on Tuesday as a disturbance impacts the state. Some lower elevations along the eastern half of the Hi-Line may see a little snow mix in with this rain at times.
More rain, possibly mixing in with snow at times, is expected in the lower elevations on Wednesday, while snow will continue to fall in the mountains. It is also going to be mild and gusty on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 40s and upper 30s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
There are then going to be scattered rain/snow showers around in the lower elevations and snow showers around in the mountains Thursday and Friday as moisture continues to stream into the state. The temperatures will also cool down over these two days in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the 30s and upper 20s on Thursday and the 20s on Friday. Around Helena, it will continue to feel nice outside on these two days as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
