A High Wind Watch is in effect for the Rocky Mountain Front from 6pm Thursday until 9am Friday. Sustained wind speeds in the watch area are going to be between 30 and 50 mph, and wind gusts up to 80+ mph are going to be possible at times. There is also a Lake Wind Advisory in effect until 5am Thursday for Fort Peck Lake.
It was very windy on Wednesday, but that wind is going to gradually diminish as we go through tonight with only a bit of a breeze around (sustained wind speeds between 10-20 mph) after midnight. We are also going to have increasing clouds tonight with some isolated valley rain and mountain rain/snow showers around, generally after midnight and generally in the mountains, as a disturbance begins to approach our area. It is also going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the 30s in most locations.
For tomorrow, we are going to have mostly to partly cloudy skies with some isolated valley rain and mountain rain/snow showers around, especially during the morning, as this disturbance leaves our area. We are also going to have a wide range of winds tomorrow as it is going to be a little breezy in eastern Montana; it is going to be breezy in east-central Montana; and it is going to be windy in west-central Montana. Basically, the closer to the Rocky Mountain Front you are, the stronger the wind is going to be tomorrow. The wind is also going to increase throughout the day tomorrow, and in general, sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph tomorrow in most of central Montana. It is also going to be warmer tomorrow than it was today as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s in most locations.
There are then going to be some scattered showers around Friday afternoon/evening, Friday night, and Saturday morning as a strong cold front passes through our area from the northwest to the southeast. This precipitation is initially going to be in the form of rain in the valleys, but this rain is going to mix in with and/or completely change over to snow Friday night. In the mountains, a mix of rain and snow is expected initially, but this mix will eventually change over to all snow Friday night. Light snow accumulations of up to 3 inches are possible in the valley locations that do see some snow. In the mountains, a few inches of snow accumulation is expected. Slick roads are also possible Friday night and Saturday morning, especially in north-central Montana, so please be careful if you are going to be traveling anywhere. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Friday and decreasing clouds on Saturday.
The temperatures are also going to cool down a lot between Friday and Saturday as highs on Friday are going to be in the 60s in most locations, and highs on Saturday are going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low 40s in most locations. It is also going to be windy again on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 30 mph. Calmer winds are then expected on Saturday.
Mostly to mainly sunny skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Sunday (Halloween), Monday, and Tuesday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. It is also going to be chilly on these three days as highs are only going to be in the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s in most locations. Also, if you plan on trick-or-treating Sunday evening, make sure you bundle up as the temperatures are only going to be in the 30s!
On Wednesday, we are going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies with a chance of rain and snow showers, generally in south-central Montana, as a storm system begins to approach our area. It is also going to be chilly again on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 40s in most locations.
