There have been scattered rain and mountain snow showers plus a few thunderstorms around today as a disturbance has been impacting the state. It has also been cooler and a little breezy today.
Here is the detailed forecast:
Around Helena, rain and mountain snow showers are likely this evening and tonight, and snow levels will drop down to ~5000 feet, so some lower elevation locations may see a little wet snow. In north-central Montana, there will be some scattered rain and mountain snow showers around this evening and tonight, especially in western and southern portions of north-central Montana. Isolated thunderstorms are also possible this evening and tonight. It is also going to be cool tonight as lows are going to be in the 30s and low 40s.
There will continue to be a few scattered rain and mountain snow showers around tomorrow, especially in the higher terrain, as today’s disturbance departs our area. It is also going to be partly cloudy and cool tomorrow as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s. There will also be a little breeze around tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
In central Montana, some areas may receive over .25” of precipitation through tomorrow evening. In north-central Montana, a lot of locations will receive <.1” of precipitation through tomorrow evening. In the mountains, a coating to a couple inches of snow accumulation is possible through tomorrow.
The highest snow amounts through tomorrow evening will be in the mountains in southern Montana and Wyoming where up to a foot of snow is possible. A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for the Absarokas and Beartooths through 6pm Thursday and a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the Bighorn and Pryor mountains from 3am-9pm Thursday. The Beartooth Highway will receive snow tonight and tomorrow, and this snow may delay the opening of the highway, which is currently projected to open on Friday.
High pressure will bring beautiful weather to our area for Friday and the holiday weekend. From Friday through Monday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and mostly dry, just a couple stray PM showers/storms around on Friday and Saturday and some isolated PM showers and thunderstorms around on Monday.
The temperatures will also warm up a lot over these four days. On Friday, highs are going to be in the mid to upper 60s and low 70s. Highs are then going to be in the 70s and low 80s on Saturday; the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s on Sunday; and the 80s and low 90s on Monday.
The wind will pick up as we go through the weekend. There will be little to no wind around on Friday and Saturday. Breezy conditions are then expected on Sunday and Monday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
This will be a great weekend to spend a lot of time outdoors, but make sure you stay hydrated and use sunscreen as it will be warm and there will be plenty of sunshine. Also, just a reminder, even though it is warm, the water is still cold and could be fast in some areas due to snowmelt. The wind may also impact water activities on Sunday and Monday as gusts could occasionally approach 40 mph.
On Tuesday, the cloud cover will increase as the day goes on and there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening as an upper-level trough begins to impact the state. There are then going to be scattered showers and thunderstorms around on Wednesday as this disturbance continues to impact the state.
The temperatures will also cool down some over these two days as highs are going to be in the 70s and low to mid 80s on Tuesday (low to mid 90s in northeastern Montana) and the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s on Wednesday (low to mid 80s in northeastern Montana). There will also be a little breeze around on these two days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
