It was cold today and it is going to be bitterly cold tonight as lows are going to be in the -10s and -20s along the Hi-Line east of I-15, and the -0s and 0s elsewhere. Wind chills tonight will be in the -0s, -10s, and -20s in most locations, but along the Hi-Line east of I-15, wind chills will be in the -30s and -40s in some locations. An EXTREME COLD WARNING is in effect for far northeastern Montana until 1pm Sunday and a COLD WEATHER ADVISORY in effect for portions of northeastern Montana until 1pm Sunday and for portions of southeastern Montana and north-central Montana until 10am Friday. There will be a little breeze (5-15 mph) around this evening, but the wind will diminish tonight.
Tomorrow will be the coldest day of the month so far. In northeastern Montana, highs are going to be in the single digits below zero and wind chills are going to be in the -20s, -30s, and -40s. In north-central Montana and around Helena, highs are going to be in the single digits and low to mid teens, and wind chills are going to be in the -0s and -10s.
Here is the detailed forecast:
There are also going to be some areas of light snow around this evening and tonight, generally in western and southern portions of north-central Montana. A little of this light snow may linger into tomorrow morning, but most of tomorrow will be dry. Up to an inch or two of accumulation is possible, but most areas will receive a coating (.5”) or less of accumulation. Roads will be slick in some areas from this snow, so please use caution when driving. Tonight will be partly to mostly cloudy, while tomorrow will be partly to mostly sunny, with the cloud cover decreasing as the day goes on.
There are going to be some scattered snow showers around on Saturday as another disturbance impacts our area and light snow accumulations of a coating to a couple inches are possible in the lower elevations, while the mountains could pick up a few inches of snow. It is also going to be mostly cloudy and warmer on Saturday as highs are going to be in the teens and low to mid 20s (single digits in northeastern Montana). There is also going to be a little breeze around on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Sunday will be a nice day with mostly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions. It is also going to be even warmer on Sunday than it will be on Saturday as highs are going to be in the 20s and low to mid 30s (single digits and low teens in northeastern Montana). There is also going to be a breeze around in some areas on Sunday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
On Monday, it is going to be partly cloudy and mostly dry. There are then going to be a few snow showers around on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially in the mountains, as a couple disturbances pass through our area. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy on these two days. On Thursday, it is going to be mostly cloudy and there are going to be some scattered snow showers around as yet another disturbance impacts the state.
More seasonable temperatures are expected next week as highs are going to be in the 20s, 30s, and low 40s in most locations. It is also going to be a bit breezy in some areas Monday through Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
