A storm system brought beneficial moisture to portions of Montana over the past day and a half. The most precipitation fell in western Montana and portions of central and northeastern Montana. This is where a lot of locations received at least .5” of moisture. North-central Montana, especially in the Golden Triangle, didn’t receive as much precipitation with many locations receiving <.25”. The below precipitation totals are valid as of 5pm this evening and include the rain that has fallen and the liquid equivalent of the snow that has fallen over the past 36 hours.
Tonight, snow is likely around Helena, and there are going to be some scattered snow showers around in north-central Montana, generally along the Hi-Line and in the mountains. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy and cold tonight as lows are going to be in the 20s and upper teens. Gusty winds will gradually weaken this evening. It will then be breezy in some areas tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Snow showers are likely tomorrow in north-central Montana and there are going to be scattered snow showers around the Helena area tomorrow, especially during the afternoon and evening, as a storm system continues to impact the state. It is also going to be mostly cloudy to overcast tomorrow.
Snow showers will taper off early tomorrow night, but there will continue to be a few snow showers around throughout the night. There are then going to be some more scattered snow showers around on Saturday, but the snow showers will not be nearly as numerous as they will be tomorrow. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy on Saturday.
Up to 3” of new snow is possible in the lower elevations through Saturday evening, although many locations will receive <1” of new snow. In the mountains, specifically the Bear Paw mountains, the Little Belts, and the Sweetgrass Hills, up to 10” of new snow is possible.
Due to this snow, roads will be slushy at times the next couple of days. This snow combined with the strong wind tomorrow will also cause there to be areas of low visibility/whiteout conditions, so use extreme caution when driving and give yourself some extra time to get to where you need to go.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for southern Blaine County and the Bear Paw mountains from 3am Friday until 12pm Saturday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect for the southern Rocky Mountain Front, the Helena area, and the mountains in central Montana through 12pm Friday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for northeastern Montana and the Hi-Line east of I-15 from 3am Friday until 12pm Saturday.
Gusty to strong winds will continue tomorrow in north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts over 50 mph are possible. Around Helena, it is going to be breezy in some areas tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. It is also going to be cold tomorrow as highs are only going to be in the 30s, and wind chills are going to be in the teens and 20s. Make sure you bundle up if you will be outdoors at all!
Less wind is expected on Saturday, but it will still be breezy in eastern portions of north-central Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Elsewhere, there will just be a little breeze around on Saturday. It will also be chilly on Saturday as highs are only going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s.
On Sunday, it will be cloudy and there will be some more scattered snow showers around as another disturbance impacts the state, and light snow accumulations are possible. It is also going to be chilly again on Sunday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s.
A few more disturbances will impact the state early next week. On Monday and Tuesday, there are going to be scattered rain and snow showers around the Helena area, especially in the mountains, and there are going to be a few scattered rain and snow showers around in north-central Montana, generally in the mountains and in locations east of I-15. It is also going to be partly cloudy on these two days. The temperatures will also warm up some over these two days as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s on Monday and the 50s on Tuesday.
On Wednesday and Thursday, it is going to be partly cloudy and there are going to be some isolated lower elevation rain and mountain rain/snow showers around, generally in the higher terrain. It is also going to feel nice outside on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s.
