A HIGH WIND WARNING continues for the East Glacier area into Thursday morning.
A WINTER STORM WATCH has been issued for the Rocky Mountain Front and most areas west of the Continental Divide for Friday through Monday.
Ultimately the last few days were Montana's January Thaw. As the calendar turns to February, arctic air will hit with the growing possibility of a major snowstorm. Right now, it's almost a "perfect storm" setup for Montana. Arctic air will come pouring down from Canada. And a stalled storm system off the coast of British Columbia will steer an atmospheric river toward Montana. This pattern could linger for days, yielding a significant snow accumulation. This all really does not start happening until Sunday, so there still is plenty of time for this setup to change. I hope you enjoyed the sunshine and mild temperatures because changes are imminent. Thursday the high pressure begins to move away and a few more clouds will make for partly to mostly cloudy skies. Valley locations will be cooler and calmer, the plains and Continental Divide will be mild and windy. Friday will be a mostly cloudy day for the end of January. A little snow will fly in the mountains along and west of the Divide. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s. Most of the state will turn windy. February begins Saturday with a new storm. A pacific cold front will cross the state with a few snow showers, but an arctic front will pass through the state later in the day with tumbling temperatures and areas of light snow. Highs Saturday could reach the 40s but lows that night will drop into the -0s and 0s. Sunday and Monday the arctic airmass will settle in with a chance of solid snow developing. Light snow could develop through Sunday and get steadier into Monday. This has the potential for heavy accumulation in the mountains and across the lower elevations.
Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
