BOZEMAN – Another well above normal temperature day for Montana. Locally, as of 1 pm temperatures were up into the 60s and most record highs for today are in the mid to upper 60s. So, there is a good chance for some tied or new record highs for November 3rd.
High-pressure is producing a dry and warm pattern over most of Montana. There is a stronger pressure gradient along the Rocky mountain front, and this is producing stronger downsloping wind gusts.
Several Pacific cold fronts will lift over the parked ridge over Montana. This will produce scattered showers for far western and NW counties and produce stronger surface winds for the rest of Montana Wednesday into Thursday.
The next significant weather pattern change will begin on Friday. A deep trough of Low-pressure will move in from the West and produce scattered valley rain and mountain snow for much of the western half of the state Friday into Saturday morning.
Arctic air is still expected to dig down into Montana but now forecast models show the arrival of the colder air is delayed until Saturday evening into Sunday morning. This could produce valley rain/snow mix Saturday and with a sudden rush of colder air wet roadways could flash freeze Saturday night.
Early snowfall totals are about 3”-8” for valleys in SW Montana and possibly up to a foot of snow for mountains and passes between Friday to Monday morning. This is a very early estimate, and the forecast is likely to change for snow totals as we get closer to the weekend.
Forecast temperatures this weekend will fall into the teens and 20s for max temperatures by Sunday and morning lows down around zero.
Please keep checking back in with us for more details on the pattern change coming this weekend.
