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Turbulent Tuesday with Wind and Snow

Posted at 6:30 PM, Dec 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-21 20:55:25-05

A HIGH WIND WATCH has been issued for most of central and eastern Montana.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for elevations above 5,000 feet in central and western Montana.
An AVALANCHE WARNING has been issued for the Bitterroot, Swan, Mission and Rattlesnake Mountains.
An AVALANCHE WATCH has been issued for the Flathead, Whitefish, Swan Mountains, and Glacier National Park.

Happy Winter! A storm moving in on Tuesday will bring wind and snow across the state. The wind will certainly be worse than the snow. Strong northwest wind will gust up to 40-50mph, especially over central and eastern Montana. Snow will be fairly light with just a coating up to an inch or two in the lower elevations. The mountains above 5,000' will see up to 8" of snow. Temperatures early in the day will be in the 30s and 40s, but fall through the 20s and into the 10s late at night.

The storm will clear for Wednesday, which will be partly cloudy and windy. Christmas Eve will be mostly sunny and windy over the plains. Temperatures there will warm through the 40s to around 50. The valleys will have less wind and cooler temperatures. Christmas Day will be very similar with mostly sunny skies and a lot of wind over the plains. Highs there will be in the 40s and 50s, with 30s and 40s in the valleys. Overall it will be a pleasant holiday. Late on Christmas, clouds will increase ahead of the next storm. Snow is likely to move across the state on Saturday. Accumulations will be light with just a few inches in the lower elevations. That system will clear on Sunday but another storm will move through early next week.

Happy Holidays!
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist