We had a cooler start to the week, with temperatures reaching 58° in Great Falls on Tuesday. It'll warm up around 20° today as most areas climb into the mid to upper 70s and low 80s. Expect plenty of sunshine, but it will be a bit breezy with sustained winds between 10 and 25 mph. Winds will be strongest along the Rocky Mountain Front and in northeastern Montana.
A weak front will pass through the area on Thursday, with stronger winds between 10 and 30 mph and gusts up to 40 mph across the plains and 60 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front. An isolated shower or thunderstorm is possible, especially in areas east of a line from Havre to Lewistown. Most areas will remain dry, and temperatures will range from the mid 60s near the Divide to the mid 80s in far eastern Montana.
Winds will decrease on Friday, and it will be beautiful with temperatures in the 70s and lower 80s. It gets even warmer on Saturday with high temperatures in the 80s and low 90s. Enjoy the warmer and drier weather while we have it.
A cold front will precede a large trough that moves over the West for most of next week. The cold front could bring a few stronger thunderstorms as it moves across the state on Sunday (Mother's Day). Damaging wind gusts and hail will be the main threats with any storms that form.
We will have more showers and thunderstorms for several days next week. The wettest period looks to be Tuesday into Wednesday, with more widespread showers possible. It will get much cooler, with high temperatures dropping back near or below average into the 50s and 60s.
