MISSOULA — A plume of moisture moved in last night and will bring continued precipitation and winter conditions to western Montana over the weekend.
Predicting solid snow accumulation, the National Weather Service has issued several different watches and advisories.
First, a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for the border along Idaho and Montana, along with the Bitterroot and Sapphire Mountains.
These areas are likely to see snow accumulate to at least 8" and probably even higher.
A Winter Weather Advisory is in place for the Kootenai region as well as West Glacier, Potomac, and Seeley Lake areas.
After the precipitation turns from snow to rain in the valleys today, strong winds will move in.
Forecasts show early on Saturday morning that wind gusts will rise to 50-to-60 mph.
The gusts look to continue throughout Saturday and return to more normal speeds by Sunday.
Temperatures will remain slightly below normal throughout this winter weather storm, but on Monday a blast of arctic air will be added to the mix.
