A HIGH WIND WARNING has been issued for most of Montana through Wednesday.
A WINTER STORM WARNING has been issued for the Glacier area into Wednesday afternoon.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY has been issued for northeast Montana for Wednesday afternoon into Thursday morning.
A major wind event will blow across the entire state on Wednesday as powerful gusts could knock down trees and powerlines, doing damage to property. Wind will not be the only aspect of this storm. Snow and ice will push east along the Hi-Line through the morning hours with mixed rain and snow squalls along the Continental Divide and Rocky Mountain Front through Wednesday afternoon. A little snow and ice will accumulate across northern and northeast Montana, and then across the western and central mountains. But this storm will not miss anyone with the wind. Powerful gusts will increase through the morning hours into the afternoon and evening. Most areas will see sustained wind between 30-50mph, with gusts between 50 and 80mph. The Rocky Mountain Front and East Glacier area could have gusts up to 90-100mph. It will be a very difficult day for driving, especially towing a trailer or camper. Highs will range from the 10s and 20s across northeast Montana, to the 40s and low 50s most elsewhere. The wind will begin to ease up late Wednesday evening as the storm moves away. Thursday will be a much different day with mostly sunny skies, light wind, and temperatures ranging from the 10s in northeast Montana to the 30s and 40s elsewhere. Boy, northeast Montana has had a pretty rough fall with cold temperatures and snow, unlike most other places in Montana. Friday is the final day of autumn. Northeast Montana will again be cold but the rest of the state will have partly cloudy skies and highs in the 40s and 50s. The wind will be strong across the Rocky Mountain Front and northern plains including Great Falls. Helena will have little to no wind. Saturday is officially the first day of winter but most of the state will be partly cloudy and mild. An inversion should keep Helena's temperature in the 40s, but Great Falls will be in the 50s to near 60. Cold air in the 20s will continue to grip northeast Montana. Saturday night a weak system will spread some rain and snow showers across central and southern areas. The mountains could pick up a few inches with little accumulation in the lower elevations. The storm will quickly move away on Sunday morning with partly cloudy skies, windy conditions, and highs in the 40s to near 50. Mild conditions will continue for Monday and Tuesday. Highs will be in the 40s to near 50 with partly to mostly cloudy skies. Wednesday is Christmas Day, which looks partly cloudy and breezy with highs in the 40s for a lot of the state. It does not look like most of Montana will have a white Christmas.
Don't get blown away,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
