It has been a frigid day today as the temperatures have been in the single digits above/below zero for most of the day, and wind chills have been in the -10s, -20s, and -30s. There have also been scattered areas of snow around throughout the day today, and roads are slick in a lot of areas this evening due to this snow.
Here is the detailed forecast:
There will continue to be scattered areas of snow around this evening and tonight, generally in locations around and east of I-15. Tomorrow, there will be some light snow around in eastern portions of north-central Montana, and this snow will gradually shift eastward as the day goes on. Elsewhere, it will be mainly dry tomorrow, just a couple isolated snow showers around. Up to 4” of new snow accumulation is possible through tomorrow evening, but most locations will receive <2” of new snow accumulation.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect through late tonight/early tomorrow morning for the Rocky Mountain Front, the Helena area, the White Sulphur Springs area, Fergus County, Judith Basin County, and portions of Chouteau County. Roads will be slick in areas that see this snow, so please use extreme caution when driving. We are also going to have decreasing clouds from west to east as we go through tomorrow.
It is also going to be frigid again tonight as lows are going to be in the -0s and -10s, and wind chills are going to be in the -0s, -10s, and -20s in most locations. A COLD WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect until 11am/12pm Thursday for most of north-central Montana and locations near the Canadian border in northeastern Montana as wind chills as low as -35° are possible in these locations. Make sure you bundle up if you are going to be outdoors at all tonight and as you head off to work and school tomorrow. Tomorrow will still be a cold day, but it will be warmer than it was today as highs are going to be in the single digits and low to mid teens in north-central Montana and the mid to upper teens and low to mid 20s around Helena. The wind will also diminish tonight, and there will be little to no wind around tomorrow!
On Friday, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and there are going to be some scattered snow showers around, mainly during the afternoon and evening, and light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible. The warming trend will also continue on Friday as highs are going to be in the 20s and mid to upper teens in north-central Montana and the mid to upper 20s and low to mid 30s around Helena.
Nice weather is expected this weekend as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. It is going to be mainly dry this weekend with mostly sunny skies on Saturday and partly to mostly cloudy skies on Sunday. It is also going to be chilly this weekend as highs are going to be in the 20s and low 30s in north-central Montana and the 30s and mid to upper 20s around Helena. There is also going to be a little breeze around this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Much warmer temperatures return next week as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s on Monday, and the 40s and upper 30s on Tuesday and Wednesday. Monday will be partly cloudy with a few isolated rain and snow showers around. There are then going to be scattered rain and snow showers around on Tuesday as another disturbance passes through the state. Sunshine and mostly dry conditions will then return on Wednesday.
There is also going to be a little breeze around on Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. It is then going to be breezy on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
