What was initially rain transitioned, as expected, overnight to snowfall providing some areas in central Montana a white Friday to gaze out on as they awoke from a slumber. Morning commutes across central/southwest Montana should certainly be taken with caution on Friday, as mountain passes continue to see decent snowfall during the morning hours. Moderate to gusty winds across the region will make things more treacherous as the day rolls along, potentially picking up that fresh snow and blowing it every which way; that as I'm sure you know by know; can extremely obscure visibility. Moisture should dry by mid Friday afternoon for central Montana, leaving surface temperatures fifteen to twenty degrees below average for this point in May. Winds will remain moderate to gusty for most of the state on Friday. Drier conditions will continue to dominate over the next few days around Montana until we see the next widespread chance of precipitation along with instability on Tuesday. Due to the fairly rapid rate of drying that some areas in southwestern Montana may see Friday overnight into Saturday, the potential for fog looks likely in that region. Keep an eye on mountain passes for slick roadways and obscured visibility over the next 24 hours. By late next week most of Montana could see temperatures in the mid 80s, this time fifteen to twenty degrees ABOVE average. These conditions will have the humidity lower but will also increase snowmelt for mountains in central/southwest Montana. Luckily fire danger will be low with the moisture runoff from the mountains. Memorial day looks to be trending in the stormy direction but with so much lead time, atmospheric conditions can certainly change, in this case, for the better. As always: A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
Be nice to each other.
- Trey Tonnessen -
