BOZEMAN – The next weather maker will arrive Wednesday evening. A Pacific cold front will pass through Montana from NW to SE Wednesday evening into the early morning hours on Thursday.
Ahead of the front temperatures will be warm to hot Wednesday afternoon with mostly a mix of 80s but a few hot spots in SW Montana could come close to 90°. This heat along with a strong surface cold front will add greater lift producing stronger thunderstorms Wednesday night.
The Storm Prediction Center has a “marginal” risk up for SW Montana Wednesday evening for a few strong to severe thunderstorms. Damaging hail and/or damaging wind gusts are possible with a few storms. Watch for brief heavy rain as well Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
Short-term forecast models are estimating rainfall totals between a tenth of an inch to just under a half an inch is possible Wednesday night into Thursday morning.
A new High-pressure ridge will build back over the region Friday and Saturday producing mostly dry and warm conditions but a colder core Pacific storm will once again push into Montana Sunday and Monday producing more rain and below normal temperatures.