WEATHER DISCUSSION: It was a relatively chilly Sunday, with temperatures only reaching into the mid to upper-40’s and low-50’s. A lot of areas saw snow accumulation last night mainly in higher elevations though a warmer period will settle in towards this upcoming work week. Tonight, expect lighter winds around 5 to 10 mph with gusts possibly up to 20 mph, clearing skies, and low temperatures in the mid to upper-20’s and low-30’s.
Upper level troughing over eastern MT quickly exits this afternoon and evening with an upper-level ridge following. The surface low-pressure and strong, mid-level northwesterly flow also quickly exits and diminishes, resulting in the precipitation and winds diminishing as we head towards the evening.
Quiet conditions build in tonight with clearing skies, though the recent precipitation combined with light winds and clear skies may promote some fog development toward sunrise tomorrow. Currently, NWS has not issued a fog advisory. Heading into Monday and Tuesday, conditions look pleasant. Tomorrow, expect high temperatures to warm above average in the low-50’s to low to mid-60’s. Sunny/mostly sunny skies will be around for Monday and Tuesday as well, with temperatures warming into the 70’s for most areas on Tuesday.
Another system brings more active weather starting on Wednesday. Enough instability for showers and possible thunderstorms will be likely Wednesday afternoon ahead of a Canadian cold front. This will bring colder air and likely periods of snow. It is largely uncertain at this time how much snow or precipitation will be received but expect at least some mountain snow Wednesday afternoon/evening through Thursday. It is unclear if the snow will mainly stay in the mountains or if there will be heavy mountain snow as well as lower elevation impacts.
Heading towards Friday and Saturday, there is a possibility for weak ridging to build in across the region, promoting a trend toward drier and warmer conditions again. There is a possibility for more precipitation, but temperatures look to trend warmer than the latter half of next week.
