MISSOULA - Over the weekend, Western Montana and much of the Northern Rockies will experience a pattern change with our weather.
High pressure keeping conditions dry will move to the east of Montana and allow pacific moisture in, bringing precipitation first to Big Sky country.
Chances for snow today are minimal, except for Flathead and Lake counties, which have about a 30% chance of snow reaching the valleys.
More snowfall will be hitting the mountains today and Saturday before widespread moisture moves in.
Temperatures will be warm enough Sunday and Monday that a rain/snow mix will likely fall and not accumulate high snow totals.
Overall, this storm ramps up in intensity by Monday and Tuesday.
A cold blast will drop high temperatures from the upper 30s to single digits and low teens on Wednesday and Thursday.
The extreme cold will not last long but will impact road conditions in valleys and mountains if the forecasted precipitation falls.
For now, weekend travel looks safe through Friday and Saturday.