MISSOULA — Mostly dry around Western Montana this afternoon as highs are reaching into the upper 20s and low 30s.
Things are quiet for now, however, that will change by tonight.
Cold air from Canada will continue to make its way south while at the same time interacting with a low pressure system. This will bring widespread snow primarily to west-central and Southwest Montana tonight through Thursday.
Snow amounts of 1" to 3" look likely for the I-90 corridor, 3" to 7" for the central Bitterroot Valley and 5" to 8" for the southern Bitterroot Valley, roughly from Hamilton and south. Expect 3" to7" as well for areas around Philipsburg, Anaconda and Georgetown Lake.
Another factor to watch will be the winds. As the cold air moves through, the winds will also pick up with gusts of 25 mph to 35 mph possible Thursday. This will keep wind chills in the single digits or even below zero on Thursday.
The coldest wind chills will be felt in the Glacier Region where a Wind Chill Advisory is currently in place through Friday morning. Here, wind chills could drop to -20°.
Skies will clear Friday into Saturday, however, with cold air in place highs will only be in the 20s to low 30s Friday then low to mid-30s Saturday. Lows during this time will be in the single digits or teens.
After this quick cold snap, temperatures slowly warm for next week with highs back in the upper 30s and 40s by Monday.
