MISSOULA — Cloudy to mostly cloudy skies with a few mountain snow showers are in the forecast Monday. High temperatures will top out in the upper 30's to low 40's.
A system will bring scattered mountain snow and valley rain/snow tonight into Tuesday morning. A few inches of accumulating snow will be possible in the mountains while the valleys see little to no accumulation.
The best chance for accumulating snow for the lower elevations will be in the Seeley Lake and Swan Lake areas where 1"-to-3" will be possible by tomorrow morning. By Tuesday afternoon skies will start to clear, however, the winds will pick up with gusts around 25-to-35 mph across western Montana. The strongest winds will be felt in northwest Montana.
Another system will bring more widespread valley rain/snow showers and mountain snow Tuesday night into Wednesday. Gusty winds will also develop Wednesday as this system moves through. Another thing to watch will be the potential for snow squalls to develop in northwest Montana with reduced visibility and gusty winds possible.
Thursday and Friday will be much quieter and much warmer across the northern Rockies. High pressure will set up allowing temperatures to warm into the upper 40's and 50's Thursday then 50's and even 60's Friday!
Another cold front will then impact the region for the weekend. Timing and strength of the front is still uncertain, however, modest confidence exists for another round of rain and snow along with cooler temperatures Saturday and Sunday.
