BOZEMAN – Another ridge riding weak disturbance will clip Montana east of the divide Thursday. Dry fronts will produce gusty winds along the Rocky Mountain Front down into central and southern counties.
A new RED FLAG WARNING is back up for Central Montana Thursday afternoon and early evening. The combination of warm, dry and locally windy conditions means new fire starts are possible and can quickly grow out of control.
Temperatures for SW Montana will remain above to well above normal Thursday into Friday. Mostly a mix of 60s and 70s with a few lower valleys pushing close to 80 degrees.
A pattern change will arrive Saturday. First a stronger surface cold front and more wind Saturday. That will be followed up with increasing valley rain and mountain snow Saturday night into Sunday. Temperatures will be trending much cooler this weekend into most of next week.
Snow is likely Saturday night through Tuesday. Snow levels could drop as low as 4,500’ but the best chance for accumulating snow will be above 6,000’. Higher mountain peaks could see over 6”.
If you plan on traveling over mountain passes Sunday into Monday be prepared for possible icy road surfaces.
