A WINTER STORM WATCH has been issued for the Beartooth and Absaroka Mountains through the weekend.
**The Beartooth Highway has been closed due to this weekend's storm. Check the Montana DOT website for possible openings.**
It's Memorial Day Weekend in Montana and the weather is looking fairly typical for this holiday. There will be very wet stretched this weekend, but there will also be some drier periods especially on Saturday and early Sunday. There will be a few showers around, mainly in the mountains on Saturday. Saturday is the driest day this weekend. Showers will increase through the afternoon and evening from southwest to northeast. Much of the Hi-Line will have a dry day. Highs will be in the 60s and 70s, and the day does not look terrible. Sunday will have rain and mountain snow increasing through the day. By Sunday afternoon, a lot of Montana could be looking at wet weather but the heaviest will be in the southern half of the state. Highs will be down in the 50s and 60s with mostly cloudy or overcast skies. Rain will continue Sunday night with lowering snow levels. Memorial Day will be wet and cool with highs in the 40s and 50s, but most of the precipitation will occur in the morning. By afternoon, the clouds may even break up with only a few scattered showers. Significant snow is likely in the mountains. Right now, snow levels could drop below 5000' by Monday morning. Be prepared for some wet and cool conditions this weekend, especially if you're heading up into the higher terrain. Monday night as high pressure moves in, temperatures could drop down to near or below freezing. Keep that in mind if you are planning on planting this weekend. Unfortunately, the weather really improves after the holiday. By Tuesday, skies will be partly cloudy with warmer temperatures. Temperatures will slowly warm next week with more showers and storms increasing by late in the week.
Have a safe and happy weekend.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
