The weather pattern setting up today and tomorrow will be here for a while. As a high-pressure ridge approaches today, winds will pick up, especially on the plains. The Helena valley started out colder than Great Falls this morning, thanks to an inversion that developed overnight. If the winds pick up sufficiently later today, we may see some of that cooler, hazier air clear out. Even if we do see the inversion break this afternoon, it won’t last long- the high-pressure system settling in this weekend will keep us inverted for the next few days.
This weekend will be marked by sunny skies and above-average temperatures for Great Falls and the Plains. It will be a much different story in the valleys, including the Helena valley, where inversions will keep temperatures cold and potentially cause poor air quality, especially by Sunday and Monday.
It looks like our next chance for the inversion to clear out will happen by late next week.
Have a great day!
Meteorologist Katie Alexander
