After a little, itty bitty amount of snow on Monday there may not be much if any accumulating snow in the state anytime soon as Christmas draws closer. El Nino years typically are lean on snow here in Montana but other places in the West usually are hit hard with snow. So far this year El Nino is not behaving typically and a lot of the West is looking at below normal snowpack. This situation will likely worsen as over the next week there will not be much snow falling anywhere. High pressure will move in for Tuesday with mostly sunny skies, generally light wind and highs in the 30s to around 40. Inversions will continue in the western valleys while a chinook wind will increase across the plains on Wednesday. This usually creates quite the diversity between the two geographical locations. Valleys like Helena, Missoula and Kalispell will stay in the 30s for highs with little to no wind. Meanwhile the plains like Great Falls and Lewistown will be warmer and windy. Highs will reach the 40s to around 50 with a stronger southwest wind up to 30mph. Thursday will be partly cloudy and a very weak storm may kick off a few flurries for the mountains Thursday afternoon but most of the state will be dry. Highs will top out in the 30s and 40s. Another high pressure will move in for Friday and the weekend. Friday will be mostly sunny with highs in the 30s and 40s. Saturday will be a mostly sunny and warm one with highs in the 40s for the valleys, but 50s to near 60 for the plains. A strong chinook wind will howl across the Continental Divide and out over the plains with gusts possibly topping 50mph. A weak front will move through for Sunday with less wind and highs mainly in the 40s. Next week starts out dry as well, and there may be one storm several days before Christmas that give parts of the state a slight chance at a white Christmas. Unfortunately most of the state this year will have bare ground. At least the weather won't impede shopping or other preparations for the holiday.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
