BOZEMAN – A short break between storms Thursday but the next in a series of storms will begin to push into Montana Friday afternoon.
Ahead of the next weather maker surface winds will be increasing Friday morning through Saturday morning. Peak wind gusts for high wind prone areas in SW Montana could be 30 mph to 50+ mph late Friday afternoon into early Friday evening.
A cold front will pass through the region Friday night. Warm and windy ahead of the front will push Friday’s highs into the 50s and 60s but behind the front highs this weekend will fall into the 30s and 40s.
Snow is possible Friday night into Saturday morning over mountains and passes but also down into the lower valley floor.
Snow accumulations of 1”-6” is possible for lower valleys and over 6” for mountains and passes.
The National Weather Service has a WINTER STORM WATCH up from Friday afternoon through Saturday afternoon. This will likely be upgraded to a Winter Weather Advisory for valleys and possibly a Winter Storm Warning for higher elevations. Look for updates from NWS by Friday morning.
The National Weather Service has a variety of High Wind Watches and Wind Advisories up east of the divide for central Montana and Upper Yellowstone near Livingston Friday morning through Saturday morning.
Peak wind gusts in the Watch and Advisory areas could reach 60 mph or stronger. This will create hazardous travel especially for high profile vehicles, areas of blowing dust, and with increasing snow Friday evening watch for blowing snow.
A NW flow aloft will persist all weekend into early next and keep temperatures running cooler than normal along with off-and-on areas of snow. Plan on wintry travel conditions this weekend into early next week.
