Sorry folks, this upcoming holiday weekend is looking rather wet with significant mountain snow. Early on in the weekend, including getaway day on Friday and then Saturday there likely will be periods of dry weather between showers. Later into the weekend by Sunday and Memorial Day on Monday, precipitation will be widespread with chilly temperatures. There will likely be one good day and that's Thursday being the week's warmest day with highs in the 70s and 80s. Thursday will be a beautiful day with weather we all wish could continue through the weekend. Skies will start out mostly sunny but late in the evening scattered thunderstorms will develop. Some of these storms could be severe with strong wind and large hail. Scattered showers and thunderstorms will continue through Thursday night. Friday is a big travel day ahead of the holiday weekend, and there will be scattered showers and thunderstorms across the state, but there also will be stretches of precipitation-free weather. As the cold front crosses the state, the wind will pick up as well. Highs will be in the 60s west, 70s central, and 80s in eastern Montana. Unfortunately this weekend looks stormy. There will be a few showers around, mainly in the mountains on Saturday. Saturday is probably the driest day over the 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. 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. Significant snow is likely in the mountains. Right now, snow levels could drop below 5000'. There is potential that wet snowflakes could mix in with rain even lower than that. Be prepared for some wet and cool conditions this weekend, especially if you're heading up into the higher terrain. This storm may linger through Tuesday into Wednesday. When all is said and done, some areas in the lower elevations could be looking at 1-3 inches of rain, with up to 1-3 FEET of snow in the mountains. At least this storm will really put a dent into the drought.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
