An area of rain continues to push from southwest to northeast across the area. Some of the heaviest rain is falling along Highway 2 on the Hi-Line to start off the day. This rainfall will begin to dissipate into the afternoon, leaving behind mostly cloudy to overcast skies. Daytime highs will reach the upper 50s and 60s in central Montana, and the mid to upper 70s in eastern Montana.
Check out the forecast:
Scattered showers and cooler temperatures are expected on Saturday, with high temperatures in the 50s and lower 60s. The main storm system for the weekend will move south along the Continental Divide Saturday night into Sunday morning. Rain and mountain snow will break out, especially in western portions of north-central Montana into the Rockies. Snow levels will drop to around 4,000 to 5,000 feet Sunday morning. It's possible some lower elevations could briefly flip over to wet snow, but accumulations will be confined to the mountains.
The first Winter Storm Watch of the season has been issued for Glacier National Park from midnight to noon Sunday. If you have a trip planned to Glacier this weekend, be prepared and dress appropriately for chilly weather with showers on Saturday, with most of the snow falling late Saturday night into Sunday morning. This could potentially cause a brief closure of Going-to-the-Sun Road on Sunday. Between 2 to 6 inches of snow are expected above 5,500 feet, with more than 6 inches possible above 7,000 feet.
The mountain ranges in central Montana will also see their first accumulating snow of the season, with up to 4 inches possible. Little to no snow accumulation is expected at lower elevations.
The storm system will quickly move away Sunday morning, leading to decreasing clouds during the afternoon and evening. However, the coldest air of the season so far will follow behind this storm. High temperatures on Sunday will be in the 40s, dropping into the 20s Sunday night. A widespread freeze is expected across central and eastern Montana.
High pressure moves in next week, bringing back sunshine and a warming trend. By Tuesday and Wednesday, temperatures are expected to rise back into the 60s and 70s under abundant sunshine.
