A cold front is bringing a burst of rain and snow as it moves across central Montana this morning. High wind gusts are expected again through central and eastern Montana. The wind will be frequently gusting to 40-50 mph, with some localized 60+ mph gusts possible in a few spots. Another day of difficult travel for high-profile vehicles.
Here's the detailed forecast:
A High Wind Warning is in effect through 6 p.m. with west winds sustained at 30-40 mph and gusts of up to 65 mph east of I-15 and up to 75 mph west of I-15. Further east, a High Wind Warning is in effect for Blaine and Fergus counties as well as the Bears Paw Mountain from 11 a.m. this morning to 5 a.m. Saturday. West winds of 25 to 35 mph and gusts up to 60 mph are expected for these areas.
A system is going to move into the Hi-Line tonight bringing additional snow showers to mainly areas east of Havre. This could put down some light snow accumulation in the lower elevations. Some of the model guidance is indicating a few inches of snow falling in the Bears Paw Mountains Friday night into Saturday morning. Otherwise, we'll have partly to mostly cloudy skies and cool temperatures with daytime highs in the mid to upper 40s and lower 50s.
The wind slowly winds down Saturday morning leading to a pleasant but cool afternoon. There could still be a few lingering rain or snow showers for the eastern half of the Hi-Line. Temperatures will be in the upper 40s and low 50s in central Montana and mid to upper 30s in eastern Montana.
Next week is forecast to be unseasonably warm and mostly dry as a strong upper-level ridge for this time of year builds into the region. High temperatures on Monday and Tuesday will reach the 50s and low to mid 60s. A few spots could even approach record high temperatures. The wind is going to start to pick up again.
