After a dull and boring December, winter is about to hit and hit hard with a series of increasing snowfall and arctic airmasses. Winter is coming. A global pattern change is already underway and the changes will slowly take place over the next several days into next week. The stagnant regime with all the cold air bottled up in the arctic is beginning to break loose and Montana, the West, and really the entire United States will see more storminess than there has been in months. Thursday will be partly to mostly cloudy with a few flurries in the mountains along the Continental Divide and around Helena. Highs in the 30s to around 40. The activity will start to increase on Friday as a cold front moves through the state with scattered snow showers. A few snow showers will fly across the lower elevations but most if not all of the accumulation should be in the mountains. Any mountain accumulation will be light just a coating up to a couple inches possible. Highs will be in the 30s to around 40. It's not a huge storm but it's a start. Saturday will have increasing clouds with some snow showers developing in the mountains later in the day. Areas of light snow will move through the state Saturday night into Sunday. Sunday will be colder with light snow tapering off. A coating up to a couple inches is possible in the lower elevations. Again not a huge storm but it's more than we've seen in a while. Highs on Sunday will be in the 10s and 20s with lows in the 0s and -0s. Monday will be a partly cloudy, dry and cold day with highs in the 10s and 20s. Another round of snow is likely around Wednesday and then again next Friday. A series of storms will arctic air are likely to continue to hit Montana through the middle of January and temperatures could fall to -20 to -30 by MLK Holiday weekend.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
