A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for most of central and western Montana into Tuesday.
Wow, that escalated quickly. A strong front and squall line of snow continues to move south through Montana. A burst of very heavy precipitation, strong wind and falling temperatures accompany this line. After a quiet start to Monday, snow and cold will continue to spread across a lot of the state for Tuesday. Most of the snow will fly in central and western Montana, but the entire state will turn sharply colder for Tuesday. Areas of light to moderate snow will continue for central and western areas. Eastern Montana will just be cold and windy. Highs will generally be in the 10s and 20s. Tuesday night's temperatures will fall to near zero or below zero for most of the state. Wednesday will be very cold with highs in the 0s and 10s, nearly 30 degrees below normal for this time in March. Some snow showers will continue to move through western and central Montana. Wednesday night will be another cold night with a lot of the state dropping below zero again. The coldest temperatures will likely be across northeast Montana and in the mountain valleys of southwest Montana. Another quick hitting front will push across the state on Thursday with a few snow showers and wind. Blowing snow will be an issue, certainly over the plains and in the mountains. Highs on Thursday will mainly reach the 20s to about 30. Friday will be mostly cloudy and windy with temperatures getting closer to normal. Some snow showers will fly over the mountains. Saturday will be mostly cloudy, windy and much warmer. The plains and valleys could warm up into the 50s. Another low pressure will likely move through the state with wet snow or a mix of rain and snow on Sunday. Several more inches will accumulate in the mountains. More active weather will continue next week. While there may not be a ton of snow in the lower elevations, the mountains will certainly receive a boost in the mountain snowpack which is beneficial to us all.
Stay safe and warm out there!
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
