Good morning! It felt like spring this morning for areas between Great Falls and Helena, as temperatures were sitting in the mid to upper 50s. Helena tied a record high temperature for December 11th overnight at 59°. Meanwhile, snow and freezing rain have been falling in northeast Montana, with temperatures in the 20s and 30s. Several inches of snow have piled up, and severe driving conditions are reported throughout most of Phillips County.
Today's Forecast:
Winds have been very strong in some areas, especially between Great Falls and Helena, where gusts have ranged between 55-65 mph. A High Wind Warning is in effect through 3 p.m. this afternoon for Cascade and Judith Basin County. The wind will pick up for everyone later this morning into the afternoon as a strong cold front drops south through central Montana. Most areas will fall to the 10s and 20s by dinnertime. There could be a quick burst of snow as the front moves through, and some snow showers will continue overnight as temperatures continue to drop.
The front stalls out before reaching Helena, so temperatures will just gradually fall through the 40s into the 30s throughout the day.
The snow really picks up tomorrow. A band of snow is expected to form from I-15 to Havre, southeast into Judith Basin and Fergus Counties. While the rest of the area will receive some snow, this will be the region with the heaviest and steadiest snow, leading to the greatest impacts. The snow will wrap up Friday night.
The models have been very aggressive with snow totals, showing a widespread area of over a foot for regions east of I-15. The more reasonable scenario is a solid 4-10 inches of snow, with isolated areas of Judith Basin, Chouteau, and Fergus Counties receiving 10-14 inches. Lesser amounts are anticipated along and west of I-15, generally 1-5 inches, including for Great Falls.
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Friday will be frigid, with highs only in the 0s and 10s; however, the Helena area will stay south of the front and remain in the 30s and lower 40s.
The arctic air begins to retreat north on Saturday, with highs still only reaching the 0s on the Hi-Line and the 10s and 20s south of the Hi-Line.
Warm and very windy conditions will prevail into early next week, with high temperatures warming back into the 40s and 50s.
