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Dangerous wind chills through Tuesday, some relief in the new year

Weak disturbance brings light snow Tuesday night
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Posted at 7:01 PM, Dec 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-27 10:52:41-05

Temperatures will fall to -20 to -30 for the Hi-Line and coupled with a light north-northwesterly breeze, wind chills will dip as low as 50 below zero for the Hi-Line and 40 below zero for the rest of central Montana. If you have to travel tonight, be sure to pack an emergency kit including heavy blankets and extra layers of clothes. Frostbite can form on exposed skin in 10-15 minutes in wind chill temperatures like these.

Sunday night: Brutally cold with snow showers ending and mostly cloudy skies expected. Overnight lows will fall to anywhere from -10 near Helena to -30 in locations on the Hi-Line.

Monday: The morning will start dangerously cold with little relief during the day. Highs will range from 0 in the Helena area to -15 east of the Rockies. Partly cloudy skies expected. Overnight temperatures will start out extremely cold around -5 to -15 but slowly warming as winds shift to the southwesterly direction. By daybreak, temperatures will be around -5 to 5 degrees.

Tuesday: High pressure keeps us dry and mostly sunny for the majority of the day. Slightly warmer temperatures anticipated. Highs will be 5-10 degrees. A weak disturbance moves through during the overnight hours. Light snow will develop after dinnertime through early Wednesday morning. A general dusting to 2 inches can be expected across the area. Overnight lows fall to -5 to -15 degrees, with wind chills still as low as -30.

Wednesday: Mix of sun and clouds throughout the day. High temperatures 0 to 10 degrees across the area. Overnight lows will fall to -5 to -15 degrees at night. Clouds increase after dinnertime.

Thursday: Milder temperatures, but still well below average. High temperatures in the low to mid 20s. Wind begins to pick up with gusts as high as 40mph possible, allowing for wind chills to remain in the single digits and 10s throughout the day. Mostly cloudy skies and a few snow showers possible in the Helena area. Overnight lows fall to 5 to -5 degrees Thursday night.

New Year's Eve: Partly cloudy skies. Chance for snow showers, especially in the Helena area. High temperatures will be in the single digits, falling below zero leading up to the new year. Overnight lows will be -5 to -20 degrees. Wind chills as low as -35 possible for the Hi-Line and -25 for the rest of central Montana.

New Year's Day: A warm front shifts north through the state during the morning hours which will allow our temperatures to jump rather quickly into the teens and low 20s. Mostly sunny to partly cloudy skies. Overnight temperatures will fall into the upper single digits and low 10s.

Sunday: Temperatures will finally return to seasonable levels, with high temperatures on either side of 30 degrees. However, winds do increase again with wind gusts as high as 35mph possible. Partly cloudy skies expected.