MISSOULA — Although today originally looked like the climax of our severe winter weather this week — snow is looking less impressive this morning.
However, a few snow bands have hit this morning and few more are potentially on the way for this afternoon, right between 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
These bands may be the only punch we get with precipitation. They could drop snow at a rate of " to 2" per hour if they develop.
Otherwise, totals are looking minimal as drier air begins to set up for the weekend.
Still, be ready for changing conditions and slick roads. Mountain passes will continue to be hit the hardest by today's snow.
Roads this morning are overall a mixed bag of conditions but are likely to get worse through the day as the arctic front rolls through.
A Flash Freeze is possible and could make the evening commute difficult.
The front actually stalled overnight but is now continuing to move further south and west. Temperatures will not be "warming up" today like usual - they will get dangerously cold later today and stick around through the weekend.
Please take this arctic front seriously with the wind chill values. Temperatures like this can cause frostbite on uncovered skin in 10 minutes.
It's serious enough that we could potentially break all-time low records for both Missoula and Kalispell with this cold.
Take any necessary precautions for your home, your pets and animals, and your loved ones. Try to stay in warmed areas as much as possible this weekend.
We will not see a warm-up until late next week, but the weekend does look fairly dry for us.
