The official start of summer this Friday will be colder than the unofficial start of summer on Memorial Day. A large low pressure will spread showers, thunderstorms, wind, chilly temperatures and mountain snow across the state over the next several days. Thursday is the last day of Spring and it will feel more like a day in early May. With mostly cloudy skies, showers and thunderstorms will be scattered throughout the state. Mountain snow showers will accumulate a few inches above about 7000′. Highs will only be in the 50s and 60s in the lower elevations, the mountains will top out in the 30s and 40s. Friday is the first day of summer. The solstice occurs at 9:54am, which is when the north pole reaches its greatest tilt toward the sun. On the day when the northern hemisphere has its most daylight, there will be limited sunshine for Montana as the storm continues to affect the state. Skies will be mostly cloudy with showers, thunderstorms and mountain snow. Wind and cool temperatures will make it feel like anything but the first day of summer. Saturday will be similar as well with mostly cloudy skies, wind, showers, isolated thunderstorms and mountain snow showers. Sunday will have more sunshine but scattered thunderstorms will develop through the afternoon. Highs will warm into the 60s and low 70s. Next week will have a slow warm up, but showers and thunderstorms will be present in the state just about every single day. All of this moisture will continue to help stave off the beginning of fire season.
Curtis Grevenitz
