MISSOULA — It wasn’t the best day to spend some time outdoors, because most backyards were either wet, slushy, or snowy this afternoon.
A band of heavy, wet snow showers is holding steady along the I-90 corridor this afternoon, and some of those snow showers are even making it down into the Bitterroot Valley.
Now as that band of snow started moving in, temperatures were holding steadily in the upper 30s and low 40s in west-central Montana. As the snow moved through, snow falling at the rapid pace it was- helped pull down some of that much cooler air from the upper atmosphere (just like what happens when heavy rain moves through and cools things off) and we dropped to the 20s.
Expect lows to drop to the teens and low 20s tonight, and snow showers continue to fall across I-90.
A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Missoula and I-90 (west of Missoula through Lookout Pass) until 10AM Thursday, but the Bitterroot Valley is under this same advisory until 9 PM this evening.
We are not so much concerned about the AMOUNT of snow we will get. This is because- like this morning- we woke up to a few inches on the ground in Missoula, but an hour later it was all gone. This is a typical Spring snow, and under these bands we could have highly variable amounts of snow in just a one mile circle.
So what we ARE considered with is the impacts this Spring snow is bringing to our area. This is mostly concerned with travel. A lot of us aren’t traveling these days, but if you HAVE to go somewhere in west-central or southwest Montana, please be aware that roads conditions will be slushy and visibility will be rapidly changing.
While roadways are mostly wet and slushy right now, we are expecting that slush and to turn into ice overnight. Expect another slick morning on roadways tomorrow!
