A WINTER STORM WARNING has been issued for most of central and northern Montana through Saturday afternoon.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for parts of western, southern, and eastern Montana through Saturday.
The first snowstorm of the new year will impact most of Montana over the next several days with a heavy blanket of snow. It's January, so it should snow in Montana this time of year but this will be a nearly statewide snow event that will last for a prolonged period through the weekend. Areas of light snow will move through western and central Montana overnight with a light coating up to an inch. The Hi-Line will be dry. Friday will have snow increasing through the morning hours across southwest Montana into the Helena area. Snow will move north and east through the afternoon reaching Great Falls and Lewistown by mid afternoon. The snow will be steady and accumulate several inches through the day. Highs will range from the 0s and 10s up north to the 20s and 30s further south. A little warmer air working in from the south may try to turn some of the snow to freezing rain around the Helena area on Friday evening. This may just create a little crust of ice on the snow. Conditions will already be slippery with several inches of snow on the ground. Areas of snow will continue through Friday night into Saturday. Gradually the snow will taper off from west to east through the morning into the afternoon. Snow totals across the state will range from several inches to nearly a foot, with as much as 18" into some of the mountains. Highs on Saturday will again be colder north in the 0s and 10s with 20s and 30s down south. A little light snow will fall again on Sunday near the Continental Divide, Helena and Great Falls. Accumulation will be little and light, possibly another inch. Monday will have areas of light snow that will accumulate up to about an inch. Warmer and drier conditions are likely toward the middle of the week. However, with several arctic blasts and snow storms likely through January, it's looking like fairly typical weather for this time of year in Montana.
Have a good day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
