A HIGH WIND WARNING has been issued for the East Glacier area down the Rocky Mountain Front through Saturday.
A HIGH WIND WATCH has been issued for most of northern and central Montana for Sunday afternoon through Monday.
A strong chinook wind will howl through the weekend into next week, and warmer temperatures will move throughout Montana. After a brief drop in temperatures with some snow, another push of mild weather will work across Montana and the West this weekend. Most of North America will fall back into the pattern that has persisted for the last month or so where the eastern part is cold and snowy, and the western part is milder and dry. While most of the state will be significantly warmer than normal, some of the western valleys, including the Helena Valley, should have inversions that trap cooler air with windless conditions. This weekend will be partly to mostly cloudy with temperatures again turning milder. Highs will reach the 40s and 50s across some of the plains, 30s to around 40 in the valleys, and 20s and 30s in the mountains. The wind will be strong over the Continental Divide and the plains. Most of the state will be completely dry through the weekend High pressure will mean warmer weather through midweek. There could be some new record highs next week, especially on Wednesday. Late next week the temperatures will drop along with a chance at some snow showers, but it won't be much. The second half of January should be a little closer to normal.
Enjoy the weekend,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
