Just a little ice and snow will fall across parts of western and central Montana into Friday morning making for a slick morning. While a monster of a storm system slammed into the West Coast, only a fraction of this energy and moisture is affecting Montana. A small area of light snow will increase through the state Thursday night into Friday morning. Wile it's mainly just snow now, a little freezing rain or sleet could mix in. These precipitation types occur because of a warmer layer of air warmer than 32 degrees is above the surface. What initially starts as snow melts, turns to rain and either refreezes in the air or refreezes once it hits the surface. This ice can cause very slippery conditions on the roads, sidewalks, decks and driveways. It does not take a lot of freezing rain to make it like a skating rink out there. Some of this ice and snow will continue through Friday morning before it dries up and Friday afternoon has sunshine with highs will in the 30s. It's really just the morning that will have the potential of slippery conditions. The first weekend of 2023 will be quiet with partly to mostly cloudy skies and temperatures in the 30s and 40s for highs. A few snow showers are possible late Sunday evening in the mountains but most of the state will have a completely dry weekend. Quiet weather will continue into next week. Besides a little light snow on Wednesday, most of the week will be mild and dry.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
