A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for portions of western Montana until 7pm Wednesday. For the valley floors, up to 4” of snow accumulation and a glaze of ice are possible. Above 4000 to 5000 feet, 6 to 13 inches of snow accumulation is expected.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front until 9pm Wednesday. Up to 20 inches of snow accumulation is possible above pass level. Below pass level, 5 to 10 inches of snow accumulation and a glaze of ice are possible. It is also going to be very windy as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 35 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for portions of Cascade County and Judith Basin County from 12am until 3pm Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 40 mph, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are going to be possible at times.
A HIGH WIND WARNING is also in effect for central/eastern Glacier County, northern Lewis and Clark County, central Pondera County, central Teton County, and western Toole County until 9pm Wednesday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 30 and 45 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times.
There are going to be a few scattered rain and snow showers around tonight. There are then going to be scattered snow and rain showers around tomorrow, especially in locations east of I-15 and in the mountains, as a disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have mostly cloudy skies tonight and tomorrow.
Little to no snow accumulation is expected in many lower elevation locations through Thursday morning. However, along central and eastern portions of the Hi-Line, a coating to a couple inches of snow accumulation is possible, with isolated locations potentially receiving up to 6 inches of snow accumulation. A coating to 5 inches of snow accumulation is also expected in some of the mountain ranges in central Montana, including the Little Belt Mountains. Finally, up to 20 inches of snow accumulation is possible above pass level along the Rocky Mountain Front, and up to 10 inches of snow accumulation is possible below pass level along the Rocky Mountain Front. Plan for slippery road conditions in locations that do see some snow tonight and tomorrow.
It is also going to be very windy tonight and tomorrow along the Rocky Mountain Front and in locations adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 30 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 70 mph are going to be possible at times. Elsewhere, we are going to have gusty winds around tonight (especially later on tonight) and tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 50 mph are going to be possible at times. Also, this wind is going to be coming out of the west-southwest in most locations.
It is also going to be cool tonight and tomorrow as lows tonight are going to be in the 30s and mid to upper 20s, and highs tomorrow are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
Mostly sunny skies and dry conditions are then expected on Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. We are then going to have a chance to see some snow and rain showers on Friday, especially around the Helena area, as another disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be breezy and chilly on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
For this weekend, we are going to have partly cloudy skies and mostly dry conditions. The temperatures are also going to cool down some this weekend as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s on Saturday and the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s on Sunday. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies, dry conditions, and chilly temperatures (highs in the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s are then expected on Monday.
