A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for parts of western and central Montana through Thursday.
Strong wind and even warmer temperatures will continue through Thursday before a powerful front moves through the state with the possibility of thunderstorms and heavy precipitation. Temperatures will also start cooling back down behind this front and the wind will thankfully ease up. A large trough in the jet stream will move in for the beginning of March with colder temperatures and the likelihood of snow this weekend. Thursday will be another warm and windy day as highs hit the 40s and 50s. Strong southwest wind could gust as high as 50-75mph. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy. Thursday evening the cold front will slice across the state with strong wind, snow showers and squalls, and falling temperatures. There likely will be a few thunderstorms along this front as well. With intense precipitation along this front, a coating of snow up to a couple inches could accumulate by Friday morning closer to the Continental Divide and around the Helena area. Friday will be partly cloudy with some scattered snow showers mainly over the mountains. It will be breezy with highs in the 30s and 40s. This first weekend of March will be colder and snowy. Look for snow to increase on Saturday and continue Saturday night into Sunday. Right now the lower elevations could be in a couple inches with the mountains possibly totaling around 6-12". Highs on Saturday will be in the 20s and 30s, but falling into the 10s later in the day as another arctic airmass spills into the state. Sunday will be partly to mostly cloudy with scattered snow showers. Highs will be colder in the 10s and 20s. Snow showers will continue into Monday. March looks like it's coming in like a lion, on the stormy side for the beginning of the month.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
