A blast of harsh winter conditions is headed toward Big Sky Country this weekend. A WINTER STORM WATCH has been issued for Sunday and Monday, as heavy snow will fall across most of Montana. Enjoy Friday’s relative warmth, with highs pushing into the 40s and almost 50 in some places. Saturday, clouds will increase but most of the day will be quiet and mild. Highs will still reach the 40s, but late in the day a polar cold front will drop into northern Montana. Temperatures will plummet to near 0 by Sunday morning. At the same time, snow will develop across the state early on Sunday and continue for the entire day. By Sunday afternoon, much of northern and central Montana will drop below zero. Wind chills could be colder than -20! Snow will continue through Monday, and the temperatures will get even colder. Dangerous travel conditions will persist through most of Monday. Some snow will taper off later in the day, but another round of snow will fall Tuesday into Wednesday. Tuesday night, the coldest of this polar air will be right over north central Montana where lows could fall to -30 or even colder. This will be a prolonged cold and snowy event, and people should prepare for the extreme weather now. If traveling, have your winter survival gear in your vehicle. Make sure neighbors and pets are taken care of. And when outside, be on the lookout for frostbite on you and others.
Stay tuned for updates to the forecast.
Curtis Grevenitz
