Friday is the final day of winter. There won't be much in the way of wintry weather with the exception of snow showers in the mountains. Most of the state will have above average high temperatures in the 50s and 60s. Far eastern Montana near Glasgow will likely even hit 70!
A cold front will move into western Montana through the morning. By afternoon, some showers and isolated thunderstorms will develop and push over the Continental Divide. The showers and isolated thunderstorms could even contain snow and hail, especially in the mountains. Showers and isolated thunderstorms will push into central Montana through the evening. Mixed rain and snow showers will continue Friday night into Saturday morning. The mountains could see a couple inches of accumulation.
Spring officially begins at 3:37 a.m. Saturday morning, that is the instant that the north pole and south pole are equidistant from the sun. Afterward, the north pole continues to tilt in the direction of the sun as the northern hemisphere goes through spring. The first day of spring on Saturday will be unsettled. There will be a mix of sun and clouds, a mix of rain and snow showers, mountain snow, and quite a bit of wind. Highs will be in the 40s and 50s, but 20s and 30s in the mountains. Expect wintry conditions in the mountains.
Sunday will be a partly cloudy day with mountain snow showers. Temperatures will be seasonably cool with highs in the 40s and low 50s, but 30s in the mountains. The wind will continue to reach speeds of up to 30mph. Next week, the first week of spring will be snowy at times. A cold front will move through the state on Monday into Tuesday with snow showers. Most of the accumulation will be confined to the mountains.
Another front and low pressure will move through late Wednesday through Thursday into Friday. The mountains will see several inches of accumulation, and the lower elevations could also see a light accumulation of a few inches. Temperatures will be cold enough to support snow in the lower elevations, so there are no BIG warmups just yet.
Have a great day.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
