MISSOULA — Temperatures took a hit across the entire state this afternoon.
Areas across Western Montana, today’s highs have ranged 10-20 degrees lower than yesterday’s highs.
This cooler air is not here to stay very long, and by tomorrow we start to warm up to the mid 40s and low 50s.
Clear skies remaining our forecast on Thursday as high pressure remains dominate over the Pacific Northwest.
Temperatures continue their climb Friday and Saturday.
Highs on Friday will top out in the low to mid 50s, and Saturday will be even be a degree or two warmer than Friday.
There is a possibility of another round of stagnant air as this weather system settles across our area through the beginning of the weekend.
Monitoring air quality levels through the end of the week will be a good idea for those who are sensitive to air pollution and allergens.
Models are still split on the location and amount of precipitation, but almost all models agree that a cold front will sweep down from the northeast once again.
This time the cold front will not stall over the Rockies and will push over the divide and completely through Western Montana.
This means cooler air once again funnels into all of Montana from the north, and we will likely see temperatures go from the mid to upper 50s on Saturday to highs in the low to mid 30s on Sunday.
Wind will likely pick up with the passing of this cold front, so wind chill values will be a factor in evaluating if it is safe to recreate outdoors for extended periods of time during the tail end of the weekend.
We will continue to watch this next system as it develops and will have a better idea of the exact timing of arrival, amount of precipitation (if any), and other major impacts we are monitoring for this weekend’s system.
