MISSOULA — Happy Friday!
This weekend, western Montana will see a major change in the current weather pattern.
A warm and moist air mass will arrive from the Pacific today, bringing chances for rain, freezing rain, and snow.
The main threat from this system is first - the moisture. Ground temperatures are so cold already due to the recent temperature trends, that even if we get minimal moisture, it's likely the roads will freeze later tonight or sometime on Saturday.
Basically, be prepared for rapidly deteriorating road conditions. Saturday's threat will be the potential for snow squalls. Snow squalls can be dangerous as they drop heavy snow in a short amount of time and reduce visibility.
Sunday looks to be a snowy day as well, but more widespread than Saturday.
In the last 24 hours though, snow totals have dropped abysmally low. So low, that we may see the Winter Storm Warning from the National Weather Service for parts of the region reduced to an advisory.
Another layer to add to all of this is a frigid air mass from the Arctic that will move in on Sunday. Temperatures will then drop dramatically from Sunday into Monday. Highs will be in the teens with lows near or below 0°.
Ultimately, we are looking at some good snow for our mountains and a toss-up for our valleys precipitation-wise. Please keep an eye on the conditions if you plan to travel on the roads this weekend.
