Tuesday was one of the nicest and warmest days of the year so far but a big storm will move in bringing the potential for a major snowfall in just a few days. It's the "warm before the storm". A large low pressure will move into the West and the weather will go downhill through the rest of the week, reaching rock bottom this weekend with heavy rain and snow for most of the state. Wednesday will still be a warm day but a cold front will move into western Montana with showers, a few thunderstorms and high mountain snow. Highs in western Montana will fall into the 50s and 60s, with 60s and 70s for the eastern and southern part of the state. Thursday will be a wide ranging weather day depending on location. Snow will fly around Glacier and along the Rocky Mountain Front. Some showers of rain with an isolated thunderstorm will move around Helena and Great Falls, Missoula and Kalispell. Eastern Montana will still be dry and warm. Highs will range from the 30s along the Rocky Mountain Front, to the 40s and 50s near Helena and Great Falls. Far eastern Montana will still have highs in the 60s to around 70. Friday more moisture will move through western and central Montana especially late in the day. There will be a mix of rain and snow in some of the lower elevations by Friday evening. The mountains and the Rocky Mountain Front will still see snow. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s for most of western Montana, 50s and 60s for the eastern part of the state. This weekend will be wet, white and sloppy. Widespread wet snow will fall for most of central and western areas on Saturday with the heaviest snow along the Rocky Mountain Front and the Continental Divide. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s, with 50s across eastern Montana. Wet snow will continue through Saturday night and Sunday. The snow could mix with some rain at times in the lower elevations through Sunday. Eastern Montana will likely have more rain than snow. Snowfall totals could be up to a foot in the lower elevations, with as much as 2-3 feet in the mountains. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s with moderate precipitation coming down for most of the day. The storm will slowly move out by Monday which is good news for viewing the solar eclipse from about 11:40am to 2pm.
Enjoy the nice weather,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
