Oh October! Wednesday was yet another day of sunshine and unusual warmth across Montana. We've got a little more of this until the weekend, when snow and cold will come crashing across the state. BIG changes are coming to Montana as we'll go from sunshine and 70s and 80s to snow and freezing temperatures. Thursday will be mostly sunny with light wind and highs in the 70s. Friday will start to turn partly cloudy with an increase in the wind out of the southwest. Gusts could top 40mph, creating high fire danger. Highs will top out in the 70s and 80s. A strong cold front will move south through Montana on Friday night into Saturday. Temperatures will tumble, and some light rain will mix with and turn to snow in the morning hours. Saturday will start out cloudy with increasing areas of snow. Some places, especially near I-90 could have a few hours of rain. As the cold front moves south through the state, areas of snow will become widespread through Saturday night into Sunday. Sunday looks cold and snowy for a good part of Montana. Some of the lower elevations may have a rain/snow mix, and some of the eastern plains could have just a cold rain. The snow will be lighter on Sunday, and snow will come to an end from northwest to southeast through Sunday into Monday. Right now, several inches up to half a foot can be expected in some of the lower elevations, and the mountains could have a foot in some areas. Snow will accumulate on the roads in the mountains and some of the lower elevations will have a slushy accumulation on the road surfaces. It will be a little slick out there, especially on Saturday night into Sunday morning. The storm will pull away on Monday with most areas looking at mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures will start to slowly warm up into the 40s and 50s for highs. Tuesday will be in the 50s and 60s.
Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
