WEATHER DISCUSSION: Snow continues across Southwest Montana and portions of Central Montana this afternoon and evening as a surface low pressure system located over Northern Wyoming brings snowfall tonight that will continue into tomorrow. Below normal temperatures continue this week until Thursday when we start to see temperatures begin to be near average.
There is an indication that there will be a brief break in the snowfall between 3 pm and 5 pm before picking back up this evening with light snowfall. Snowfall will be generally light with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall when the sun sets as we lose daytime warming. High clouds continue to move into North Central Montana making skies mostly cloudy and cloudy throughout the weekend.
A Winter Weather Advisory will remain in place until midnight on Sunday located in the southern portions of our viewing area and Helena. 4 to 10 inches of snow is possible bringing a likelihood of slippery road conditions. As road surface temperatures tonight begin to fall below freezing across Central and Southwest Montana, wet surfaces will freeze and become slick and icy. A Winter Storm Warning is also in place mostly in the higher elevations around Helena and Southwestern Montana. Periods of heavy snow could cause 10 to 18 inches of snow in those higher elevation locations. Use caution if traveling tonight through Southwest and Central Montana as hazardous driving conditions are expected to continue.
Snow will continue into tomorrow morning across Southwest Montana and slowly diminish through the early day tomorrow before completely diminishing by tomorrow night. Mountain snowfall has high probabilities (greater than 75 percent) of continuing into Monday morning as snowfall accumulations have high probabilities tomorrow morning through Monday morning of being greater than 2 inches.
Monday through next Saturday... Monday will see a brief break in the unsettled weather as upper-level ridging moves across to our east. This unsettled weather pattern brings periods of light snow across the Rocky Mountain Front and Southwest Mountains. Gusty winds along the Rocky Mountain Front for Friday.
SATURDAY NIGHT: A slight chance of snow tonight in portions of Cascade County. Mostly cloudy skies with lows in the twenties. North wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm. The chance of precipitation is 20%.
SUNDAY: A chance of snow, mainly in the evening. Mostly cloudy, with a high in the mid-30’s. North wind 7 to 14 mph. Little or no snow accumulation expected.
MONDAY: Partly cloudy, with a high in the upper 30’s. Calm wind around 6 mph in the morning. Chance of snow after midnight.
TUESDAY: Partly cloudy with highs in the mid to high 30’s. Northeast wind 6 to 9 mph.
WEDNESDAY: Partly cloudy with highs in the high 30’s and low 40’s.
THURSDAY: A chance of snow with highs in the mid 30’s.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny with highs near the 50’s.
