Good morning Treasure State! This is our first official full week of the spring season, and it will be a great week to be here in Montana. The upper-level flow is beginning to turn northwesterly as pacific-driven moisture is riding over a large ridge beginning to settle over the northwestern part of the United States. A small part of that moisture is approaching the Continental Divide early on this Monday morning, but there won't be much accumulation; or moisture making it over the divide due to a lack of total moisture as well as a lack of lift needed to substantiate bands of precipitation across the divide. Accumulation today will be limited to high peaks in northwest Montana like the Cabinet, Mission, and Swan ranges, with around six inches of snow being the maximum. Tomorrow, the large ridge I mentioned moments ago, will move farther inland and its axis (center) will plant itself directly over the Pacific Northwest. This ridge will begin moving east as the week progresses; and due to this eastward movement; Montana will see a significant warming trend throughout the week. By Wednesday areas of Montana will see temperatures in the sixties, along with plenty of sunshine. By Wednesday afternoon it isn't out of the realm of possibility for Helena, Great falls, or both to possibly top 70 degrees. Thursday will be the first chance of precipitation we see during our work week. As the ridge moves east, the upper-level flow will flatten behind it. This will allow a quick moving shortwave trough to develop. However, the shortwave trough will stay hugging the Canadian border, bringing rain chances along the high line. Mild sustained wind with strong gusts are likely this week as atmospheric high pressure settles over the state. It appears that after the small and fairly isolated rain chance on Thursday, Montana will head into a decently-prolonged period of warmer/drier weather; which will be further intensified by a number of ridges that will settle over the west coast of the United States. Though I'm personally excited for the clear skies and the chance to rock my high school and college running shorts (Which I probably should've retired!); it's worth noting that we are below precipitation averages and water levels in many areas. As most of you know; this usually correlates with a pretty rough fire season. While we have beautiful spring days to get outside, exercise, and explore the natural beauty of Montana; use some of this time to prepare your home and grassy areas for fire season. While none of us can control or change the atmosphere, we can certainty take advantage of gorgeous spring days like these when we live in a places with unmatched natural beauty! Thank you for trusting #StormTrackerWeather. I hope you have an incredible beginning to your week, and I'll leave you with a fresh new hashtag, encouraging everyone to experience nature in Montana.
#GetOutThere
As always:
A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition!
Be nice to each other.
-Trey Tonnessen-
