A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for the Little Belt and Highwood Mountains through 6AM tomorrow
A SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT for DENSE FOG has been issued for portions of north and central Montana, including Great Falls and Lewistown, through the mid-morning hours
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This morning, areas in the plains will be blanketed with low, thick stratus clouds. This will keep the northern and central plains cooler and therefore closer to our dew point temperatures and form fog. This makes for dangerous driving conditions on I-15 near Great Falls, and on highways 87 and 191. Be sure to take it slow and, if possible, wait to get on the road after the fog dissipates.
Today we will see some snow and rain showers fire up in the mountains of western Montana. Unlike the plains, we will see the sun poke through in the higher elevations, giving rise to enough instability later in the say where we could see some lightning strikes and some isolated instances of small hail. Snow accumulation will be minimal in most locations. A winter weather advisory was issued in the Little Belts for instability snow showers that could give a quick burst of heavy snow with accumulations up to half a foot.
Temperatures will be quite chilly along the Hi-Line and in the plains. We should expect highs to only reach the mid to upper 30s. further south we will reach the mid to upper 40s.
Tomorrow, most of southwestern and central Montana should stay dry, with only isolated snow showers sticking to the higher terrain. We will continue to have the stratus layer stick around for the plains. Combine that with minimal wind and colder temperatures, we could be looking at another day of widespread foggy conditions. A disturbance will be moving through the central Rockies that will drive some moisture towards the Montana/Wyoming border. A wintry mix is expected Saturday afternoon
We will be 15-20 degrees below average temperatures on Saturday and Sunday in most locations across the state.
On Easter Sunday, we will see clearing conditions in the plains with partly cloudy skies. We could see a couple of inches of snow in places like Billings, Bozeman, and Livingston in relation to that disturbance to the south. Travel to these locations will be difficult. A Canadian high to our north will prevent the spread of this moisture into central and northern Montana. There is a chance of an isolated snow shower making its way to the south of Helena.
Next week a ridge moves in that will warm the entire state up significantly for the first few days of April, with temperatures approaching 70 degrees in some locations on Tuesday.
We will have a powerful cold front move through next Wednesday night, bringing some thunderstorms and cooling us back down into the 30s and 40s with some snow on Thursday.
Helena Temperature Records Today:
High: 77° (1978)
Low: -10° (1954)
AVG: 52/28
Great Falls Temperature Records Today:
High: 78° (2078)
Low: -4° (1954)
AVG: 50/26
Happy Easter!
Joey Biancone
Meteorologist
Facebook: Meteorologist Joey Biancone
Instagram: joeybianconewx
