A HIGH WIND WARNING continues for the Rocky Mountain Front and the East Glacier area into Friday morning.
How about that sunrise?!? Across Montana, many folks woke up to brilliant color in the sky. There is more opportunity for special sunrises and sunsets over the next several days with the weather pattern that will not change much. While that's nice, the wind will not be across the plains, mountains and Continental Divide. A chinook wind and chinook arch cloud formation are likely to persist. A chinook wind is downsloping wind from the Continental Divide that warms as it descends. This pattern typically creates a chinook arch cloud that forms above or just east of the Continental Divide. These cloud formations (mountain wave clouds) can create some beautiful sunsets. In this setup, there usually is a very strong wind across the plains and near the east side of the Divide as well. Areas that are not windy in this setup usually include the valleys of western Montana like Helena, Bozeman, Missoula and Kalispell. Friday will be mostly cloudy with strong wind again across the plains and in the mountains. There will not be much wind in the valleys or west of the Continental Divide. Highs will be in the 50s. This weekend does not look bad if you can tolerate the wind. For both Saturday and Sunday, skies will be partly to mostly cloudy but it will be dry. Highs will be in the 50s to around 60. Average wind speeds during the day will range from between 20-40mph. There will be gusts up over 60mph especially along the Rocky Mountain Front. Halloween is Monday and for a change you won't have to put coats and snowpants on the kids under their costumes. It will actually be quite mild with highs in the 50s and 60s, and temperatures will dip into the 40s and 50s around Trick o' Treat time. What will be bad is the wind and it should affect most of the state including the western valleys. Make sure some of those little trick or treaters do not get blown away! Tuesday is now going to be partly cloudy and warm for the beginning of November with highs in the 50s and 60s. Colder air and the chance of snow will move into the state after with several inches of accumulation in the lower elevations beginning Wednesday and continuing into Thursday.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
