Significant snowstorm to impact Montana Friday and Saturday

WINTER WEATHER ALERTS are in effect for most of Montana for the next couple of days.

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect most of north-central Montana from 5am/11am/5pm Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday.

A WINTER STORM WARNING is in effect for central and southern Phillips County, Garfield County, and Petroleum County from 11am Friday until 5pm Saturday.

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY is in effect for the southern Rocky Mountain Front, the high plains, the Bozeman and Helena areas, and the mountains in central Montana from 8pm Thursday/11am Friday until 5am/5pm Saturday.

There is going to be scattered snow around tonight, generally in central Montana, including around Great Falls, Helena, and Lewistown, and light snow accumulations of up to an inch or two are possible. We are also going to have overcast skies tonight with a few areas of fog around. It is also going to be cold tonight in north-central Montana as lows are going to be in the -0s and 0s. Around Helena, lows tonight are going to be in the mid to upper teens and low to mid 20s.

A significant snowstorm is going to impact our area on Friday and Saturday. As we go through Friday, snow will develop from northwest to southeast. Around Helena, snow is likely tomorrow morning, but the snow will taper off from southwest to northeast tomorrow afternoon/evening. In north-central Montana, locations around and west of I-15 and in southern portions of north-central Montana, including around Great Falls and Lewistown, will see snow begin to develop during the morning. This snow will then overspread the rest of north-central Montana during the afternoon and evening, and will arrive in northeastern Montana during the late evening.

Widespread snow is then likely tomorrow night in north-central Montana, with areas of snow around the Helena area tomorrow night. Some of the snow that falls tomorrow and tomorrow night will be heavy at times. Light to moderate snow will then continue to fall on Saturday, especially in locations east of I-15, but this snow will gradually taper off from west to east as the day goes on.

Check the Montana Department of Transportation website before you hit the road to find out which roads are snow-covered, which ones have ice and/or slush, and if any roads are closed. You can also check MDT cameras from across the state by clicking here.

This snowstorm will drop a significant amount of snow. A widespread 3-12” of snow is expected in central and north-central Montana from this evening through Saturday evening, with most locations receiving 5-10” of snow. In the mountains, 6-18” of snow is expected through Saturday evening. Due to this snow, difficult travel conditions are expected tomorrow and Saturday (especially tomorrow afternoon through Saturday morning), so please use extreme caution when driving and consider delaying your travel if possible. Also, give yourself plenty of extra time to get to where you need to go.

It is also going to continue to be cold tomorrow and Saturday in north-central Montana as highs are going to be in the single digits, teens, and low 20s, with lows in the -0s, 0s, and low 10s. Around Helena, highs tomorrow are going to be in the upper teens and low to mid 20s in most locations and highs on Saturday are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy in some areas east of I-15 on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. There is also going to be a breeze around on Saturday along the Divide and the Rocky Mountain Front as well as in northeastern Montana as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.

On Sunday, we are going to have mostly cloudy skies with a few snow showers around in north-central Montana and scattered snow around Helena. Snow is then likely around Helena on Monday and there is going to be some scattered snow around on Monday in north-central Montana, generally around and west of I-15 as well as along the MT 200 corridor. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures on these two days as highs are going to range from the single digits to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures along the Hi-Line east of I-15 and the warmest temperatures around Helena.

We are then going to have partly to mostly sunny skies on Tuesday with a few snow showers around during the morning as a disturbance leaves our area. We are also going to have a wide range of temperatures again on Tuesday as highs are going to range from the mid teens to the mid 30s, with the coldest temperatures in northeastern Montana. It is also going to be a little breezy in some areas on Tuesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.

Some isolated rain and snow showers are then possible on Wednesday as another weak disturbance passes through our area. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies on Wednesday. Partly cloudy skies and mainly dry conditions are then expected on Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Warmer air is also going to return to our area for these two days as highs are going to be in the 30s and low 40s. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.