A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for most of central and north-central Montana into Wednesday afternoon.
A WIND ADVISORY is in effect for Fort Peck Reservoir and most areas west of the Continental Divide.
A powerful wind will howl across the state on primary Election Day with the potential to produce power outages, knock down branches and trees, and cause some property damage. Wind will blow around dust and debris and will create hazardous driving conditions. Most areas will have the potential for gusts between 50-60mph. On the Continental Divide some gusts could top out near 70mph. Along the Rocky Mountain Front and the East Glacier area will have the strongest gusts possibly up to 80-90mph. There will be some rain showers near the Rocky Mountain Front and the Continental Divide with steady light rain west of the Divide. Highs will be in the 60s to around 70. Eastern Montana will have partly cloudy skies. Wind will continue Tuesday night and Wednesday. While it will be another windy day, it will not be as bad as Tuesday. West wind will gust up to 30-40mph. Skies will be clear to mostly sunny with highs in the 60s and 70s. Finally that wind will die Wednesday night and Thursday will be a beautiful day. Skies will be mostly sunny, the wind light, and high temperatures will top out in the 70s and 80s. Friday will be even warmer with some areas hitting the mid to upper 80s. A few isolated thunderstorms are possible across southwest Montana up to around the Helena area. The warmth continues on Saturday with highs in the 70s and 80s and a few isolated thunderstorms. A stronger front could produce strong to severe thunderstorms on Sunday with cooler highs in the 60s and 70s.
Take care in this wind!
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
