The northern lights put on an epic show last night and there is a good chance that we could see them again tonight, although we are going to be battling a lot more cloud cover. A G3 to G4 geomagnetic storm is expected again tonight, which means the northern lights will likely be visible throughout most of the northern and central U.S. Sadly, we are going to be dealing with a good amount of cloud cover in central and north-central Montana tonight as partly to mostly cloudy skies are expected, and that cloud cover will limit our viewing of the northern lights.
It is also going to be mild tonight as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations (mid to upper 20s and low 30s along the eastern half of the Hi-Line). It is also going to become breezy tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and it will become a little breezy later tonight in some other areas.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Tomorrow will be an unseasonably warm day as highs are going to be in the 60s and low 70s, and a few locations, including Great Falls, may tie or set a new record high temperature. We are also going to have increasing wind throughout the day tomorrow, with windy conditions developing along the Rocky Mountain Front (gusts over 60 mph are likely later in the day) and gusty winds developing out across portions of the plains (gusts up to 40 mph are possible later in the day). It is also going to be partly to mostly sunny and dry tomorrow.
On Friday, there are going to be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around throughout the day, with a little snow possible along portions of the Hi-Line Friday evening, as a disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be cooler, but still mild on Friday as highs are going to be in the 50s and low 60s in most spots. Widespread gusty to strong winds are also expected on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and gusts over 40 mph are possible.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front, eastern Glacier County, central Pondera County, and western Toole County, from 12pm Thursday until 5pm Friday as gusts between 70 and 85 mph are possible in these areas the next two days.
This weekend will feature pretty nice weather for the middle of November. On Saturday, we are going to have decreasing clouds with a few rain and snow showers around during the morning, mainly in the mountains and along the eastern half of the Hi-Line. It is then going to be partly cloudy and mainly dry on Sunday. We are also going to have pleasant temperatures this weekend as highs are going to be in the 50s in most locations (40s in northeastern Montana). There will continue to be a good breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, but little to no wind is expected on Sunday.
There are then going to be some scattered rain and snow showers around on Monday and Tuesday, generally in the mountains and in locations east of I-15, as a disturbance passes through our area. Much cooler temperatures are also expected early next week as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s on Monday and the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s on Tuesday.
