MISSOULA — For now, our current mild weather pattern is holding on.
Temperatures this week have been right on target for average levels this time of year, with mostly dry skies.
Today, highs will reach a mix of 30s and 40s again. We should see partly sunny to mostly sunny skies by the afternoon.
Conditions start to change Friday though, as weather models continue to agree on a mass of arctic air arriving.
By 11 a.m. Friday, Kalispell will start to feel the cooler air, then Polson around 2 p.m. Friday, with the Missoula and Bitterroot valleys not feeling the air until late Friday night.
Overall, it looks like the coldest part of the weekend will be Sunday into Monday (MLK Day).
Confidence is high in this chilly weather, but confidence is not as high when it comes to precipitation.
The onset of the cold front may bring light precipitation and a brief period of gusty winds — and that's it. Not much snow is expected with this system.
Continue to keep an eye on the forecast as we get closer to the cold air arriving! Wind chill factors could get dangerously low overnight after the air arrives.
