MISSOULA — One more day of sunshine and warm temperatures today before we see some big changes for the weekend and next week.
A cold front arrives early Saturday morning bringing cooler temperatures and scattered rain showers. Highs on Saturday top out in the 60s.
The winds will also pick up Saturday afternoon and evening. A Lake Wind Advisory has been issued for Flathead Lake. Wind gusts between 30 mph to 35 mph will lead to choppy lake conditions.
Sunday will be dry with a mix of sun and clouds as highs remain in the 60s.
A strong low pressure system brings widespread valley rain and mountain snow Monday and Tuesday of next week.
The heaviest snow looks to fall in the mountains along the divide. Passes such as Homestake, MacDonald, Rogers and Marias could see 2"-to-5" of snow.
Elevations above 7,000 feet could see 8"-to-20" of snow! This primarily impacts anyone planning on recreating in the backcountry and includes Glacier National Park.
Lolo and Lost Trail passes could see around 1"-to-3" of snow during this time frame.
Valleys remain all rain with highs in the 50s and lows in the upper 30s and 40s Monday and Tuesday.
Warm weather quickly returns for the end of next week with highs back in the 70s by Wednesday and upper 70s to low 80s Friday into next weekend.
