Welcome to Novembrrr. That was a blast of snow and much colder temperatures across the state. Accumulation in the lower elevations generally ranged from a coating up to a couple inches, with as much as 6" in the mountains. The next week or so will feature a series of storms with wind, temperatures swings, accumulating snow and very cold temperatures that may drop below zero. First winter is here! Colder air will continue to sweep across the state Wednesday night with most areas dropping into the 10s and 20s. Thursday will be mostly sunny to partly cloudy with highs in the 30s. A strong wind will develop Thursday night and blow across the state on Friday. A HIGH WIND WARNING may be necessary for gusts topping 60mph. The fresh snow around the East Glacier area, the Continental Divide and the Rocky Mountain Front will get blown around by the developing strong wind. Highs will be in the 40s and 50s Friday afternoon but there will be rain and snow that will be heavy at times in the mountains. Most valleys and plains east of the Divide will be very windy, mild and dry. A strong wind will continue Friday night into Saturday with more heavy precipitation in the mountains. Saturday a cold front will move across the state with showers of rain and snow in the lower elevations, but the mountains will still see heavy snow and wind for most of the day. While highs may reach the 40s to around 50 in the lower elevations, expect falling temperatures through the afternoon and evening as the coldest airmass of the season moves in. Sunday will be cold with highs in the 20s and 30s. There will be a few areas of light snow on Sunday, but nothing like what could come through Monday. A significant snow and serious cold are likely. Lower elevations could see more than 6" and high temperatures may only top out in the 10s and 20s. Overnight lows could drop below 0 for the first time this season. Continued cold with more snow is possible Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures may be as cold as -20 in the coldest locations by Wednesday morning. Some advice: I'd try to get my snow tires on by next week as there will be a longer stretch of snow and cold temperatures that may linger into the middle of November.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
