We had nice weather today with partly cloudy skies, warmer temperatures, and just a little breeze. It was also mostly dry for a lot of today, but there have been a few rain and mountain snow showers around this afternoon. For this evening and tonight, the cloud cover will increase and there will be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around as a storm system begins to approach our state. It is also going to be cool tonight as lows are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s. There is also going to be a breeze around in some areas east of I-15 tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
There are going to be areas of rain and snow around throughout the day tomorrow as a storm system impacts the state. This precipitation will become more widespread as the day goes on. In the lower elevations, precipitation will initially be in the form of rain or a rain/snow mix, but the precipitation will switch-over to snow later in the day. Widespread accumulating snow with pockets of rain is then expected tomorrow night. On Friday, there are going to continue to be scattered snow showers around, but these snow showers will gradually taper off as the day goes on. The skies will also clear out some from west to east later in the day, so some areas will see some sunshine.
This storm system will bring a good amount of moisture to central and north-central Montana. Most locations are expected to receive between .25” and .75” of precipitation, with a few areas possibly receiving up to or over 1” of precipitation.
Some of this precipitation will fall as snow, but with the warmer ground, the higher sun angle, and the precipitation starting out as rain, that will cut down on how much snow accumulates. Most of north-central and central Montana will receive <3” of snow through Friday evening, but a few areas, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front and along Highway 87/200 from Armington Junction to Lewistown, may receive up to 4” or 5” of snow. The mountains will pick up some good snow with this storm as 5-12+” of snow is expected.
A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Highwoods and the Little Belts from 9am Thursday until 12pm Friday.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for Cascade County, Judith Basin County, and Fergus County from 3pm Thursday until 12pm Friday. A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is also in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front and some of the higher terrain around Helena from Thursday morning through Friday morning.
In the lower elevations, roads will be slick in some areas tomorrow evening through Friday morning, so use caution when driving. In the mountains and over some of the mountain passes, be prepared for slick/snow-covered roads at times tomorrow and Friday.
It is also going to be a lot cooler tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s. There is also going to be a breeze around in a lot of areas tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. On Friday, it will still be cool, but a little warmer as highs are going to be in the 40s and low 50s. It will also continue to be breezy in some areas on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Easter weekend will be a beautiful one as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Saturday will be mostly sunny and dry and Easter Sunday will be partly cloudy and mostly dry. It is also going to be mild this weekend as highs are going to be in the 50s and low 60s in most locations. There is also going to be a bit of a breeze around this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
The pleasant weather will stick around for the beginning of next week. On Monday and Tuesday, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and mainly dry. It is also going to continue to be mild on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s on Monday and the 60s on Tuesday. There will be little to no wind around on Monday. Gusty to strong winds are then expected on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph.
