Happy 406 day! It has been breezy today along the Hi-Line and in locations east of I-15 as sustained wind speeds have been between 10 and 25 mph. Outside of the wind, we have had nice weather today with partly cloudy skies and seasonable temperatures.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Tonight will be partly cloudy and cool as lows are going to be in the 30s and low 40s. East of I-15, it will be breezy (10-25 mph) this evening and early tonight, but the wind will gradually diminish as the night goes on. Around and west of I-15, there won’t be much wind around initially tonight, but the wind will increase during the second half of the night, with windy conditions (gusts over 60 mph) developing later on tonight along the Rocky Mountain Front and breezy conditions (gusts over 30 mph) developing east of the Rocky Mountain Front out to I-15 and along Highway 200 later on tonight.
Widespread gusty to strong winds are expected tomorrow, with the strongest wind in western portions of north-central Montana and in central Montana, as a cold front begins to pass through our area. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, gusts up to 90 mph are possible tomorrow. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, gusts up to 75 mph are possible, with widespread gusts between 45 and 65 mph likely. This wind will initially be coming out of the west-southwest, but will switch to the northwest later in the day behind a cold front.
The wind will diminish tomorrow evening/night in western portions of north-central Montana. It will then just be a little breezy on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. In eastern portions of north-central Montana, the wind will briefly diminish early tomorrow night, but windy conditions will return for the second part of the night and Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are possible.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and the Cut Bank area from 3am until 9pm Tuesday. A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for southern Blaine County, the Bear Paw Mountains, Fergus County, and southwestern Phillips County from Tuesday afternoon through 12pm/6pm Wednesday. A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for portions of central and southwestern Montana and western portions of north-central Montana from 9am Tuesday until 9pm Tuesday/12am Wednesday.
Minor wind damage from these strong winds is possible, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front. There may also be areas of blowing dust, especially along the western half of the Hi-Line. Travel will also be difficult for high-profile vehicles, especially on north-south oriented highways.
Tomorrow will be partly cloudy and there will be a few rain and snow showers around from the late morning through the evening, generally along the Hi-Line and in the mountains, as the cold front begins to pass through our area. A few isolated thunderstorms will also be possible later tomorrow in northeastern Montana. There will then continue to be a few scattered snow and rain showers around tomorrow night, generally along the Hi-Line and in locations east of I-15. For those that see snow tomorrow or tomorrow night, light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible, especially along the western half of the Hi-Line.
On Wednesday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and mostly dry, just a few lingering snow showers along the eastern half of the Hi-Line during the morning. It will be warmer tomorrow ahead of the cold front as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations. Behind the cold front, it will be cooler on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s in north-central Montana and the 50s around Helena.
A few more snow showers are possible Wednesday night and Thursday morning as another disturbance passes through our area. Thursday will be a mostly sunny and cool day as highs are going to be in the 50s and upper 40s. It is also going to be a little breezy as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Friday will be a gorgeous day as high pressure is going to be in complete control of our weather. Friday will feature lots of sunshine, little wind, and warmer temperatures as highs are going to be in the 60s in most locations.
The weekend will start out nice, but will gradually turn wetter and cooler. On Saturday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and there are going to be a few scattered rain showers and thunderstorms around in central Montana during the afternoon and evening as the next storm begins to approach our area. It is also going to be warm and a little breezy on Saturday as highs are going to be in the 60s and low 70s and sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Rain and mountain snow showers will develop on Sunday, especially during the afternoon and evening, as this storm begins to impact the state. It is also going to be a lot cooler on Sunday as highs are going to be in the 50s in most locations. There will also be a little breeze around as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
There are then going to be scattered rain and snow showers around on Monday as this storm continues to impact the state. It will also be cool on Monday as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s.
