Happy May! The calendar says May but it’s felt more like March the last several days. Once again, Wednesday started off cold. In Newlan Creek, out near White Sulphur Springs, the temperature dropped to 0. That was the coldest temperature recorded throughout Montana in the month of May since 2006. In fact, the coldest temperature EVER recorded in the month of May in Montana was -5 in Polebridge back on 5/1/1954. A large area of low pressure, formerly a lobe of the Polar Vortex has set up shop in over western North America that has pushed the jet stream south of Montana. This low has not moved recently and will persist for several more days. This will keep Montana cool, unsettled, and with a chance of snow once again. Thursday will be an unsettled spring day, with some sunshine, wind, scattered showers, a few thunderstorms, and some higher elevation snow. Highs will be in the 50s, with the mountains in the 30s and 40s. Friday will be a nice day for most of the state with highs in the 50s and 60s, but another front will come down into northern areas late in the evening with rain and some snow. This front will move south through Montana Friday night and Saturday morning, and temperatures will be cold enough for some snow in the lower elevations Saturday morning. That front will wash out with much of Saturday being mostly cloudy and cool. Sunday will start out slightly warmer with partly cloudy skies but clouds, showers, and some mixed rain and snow will move back into northern Montana Sunday night into Monday morning. Showery, cooler weather will continue into the middle of next week. As long as that low pressure stays in western Canada, May in Montana will be more like March or April.
Have a great day.
Curtis Grevenitz
