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Arctic Air Comes Close With A Flash Freeze

Posted at 6:04 PM, Jan 25, 2019
and last updated 2019-01-25 20:57:07-05

Welcome to the weekend!  While temperatures will warm up this weekend, an arctic air will come crashing through the state on Sunday.  A polar vortex has shifted south of the north pole and will affect Montana’s weather and much of the United States’ through next week.  A WINTER STORM WATCH is in effect for the central mountains above 5000′ from Sunday into Monday.  A cold front will drop south through Montana later Sunday, with rapidly falling temperatures, and a mix of rain and snow will change to all snow.  Generally 1-3″ will accumulate over the lower elevations, but the significant drop in temperature from Saturday and Sunday morning into Sunday afternoon could create very icy conditions.  After a warmer weekend with some melting snow, roads could quickly ice up Sunday afternoon and evening.  Temperatures will drop from the 40s into the 10s and 20s.  Monday, snow showers will move out in the morning.  Highs will be in the 0s in the northeast corner, to the 10s and 20s elsewhere.  The arctic airmass will mainly move through the northern Plains, but it will clip eastern Montana where temperatures could plummet to -30 by Tuesday morning.  Although right now the brutal cold should be held to far eastern Montana near the North Dakota border, exactly how far west this cold spreads will have to be watched next week.  Montana will likely have a big temperature spread from the far western areas that will have highs in the 30s and 40s, to the eastern areas that may have highs below 0 on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Have a great weekend.

Curtis Grevenitz