A HIGH WIND WARNING has been issued for some of the plains of Montana thorugh Wednesday evening.
A FLOOD WATCH has been issued for northwest Montana through Wednesday.
Happy St. Patrick's Day! The snow is melting as a much warmer airmass has moved into Montana. The wind will continue to be strong and the temperatures will get warmer over the next few days. Before the end of the week, most of Montana should warm into the 60s and 70s with a few new record highs. One or two towns in southern Montana could even hit 80 on Friday. The warm weather will come with a lot of wind and very sloppy conditions until the snow melts. Flooding is not a major concern, but many creeks and streams should be running high as the snow melts. The reason for the FLOOD WATCH in northwest Montana is because of snowmelt but also steady rain. This precipitation wil mainly be confined to this area of the state, and widespread flooding is unlikely elsewhere. Wednesday will be windy and warmer. Highs will mainly be in the 60s and 70s, some 40s and 50s in the mountains. The wind will be strongest along the Rocky Mountain Front out across the plains. Thursday will be a warm and windy day for most of the state. Unfortunately, the skies will likely stay mostly cloudy. Some areas in southwest and northeast Montana will have partly cloudy skies. Highs will top out in the 60s and 70s with a few records possible. Spring officially beings on Friday and the first day of the new season will be partly to mostly cloudy with highs in the 60s and 70s. The wind will once again be strong for most of the state. The next cold front will come through Montana on Saturday with showers in the lower elevations and a return of some light snow to the mountains. Highs will cool into the 40s and 50s. Sunday will be mostly sunny with lighter wind and highs in the 40s and 50s.
Happy St. Patrick's Day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
