MISSOULA — A system moving south out of British Columbia today will give the region a bit of a break from the dominate ridge that's been in place. This system won't have much moisture to work with, so only light snow is expected today and this evening with just 1" or less expected in most valley locations. If conditions are right this afternoon, some models are showing the potential for snow bands to develop. Under these bands some high end snow accumulations of 1"to-2" or even a few isolated 2"-to-4" could be possible in some valleys. Mountain passes will see a couple of inches of snow with this system.
The ridge of high pressure quickly reasserts itself for the rest of the week, keeping the valleys in fog and status clouds during the morning with some clearing by the afternoon.
Friday night through the weekend we'll start to see the pattern change with the ridge breaking down and snow returning to the mountains. Exact details are still unclear, however, this pattern change looks to continue into the following week opening the door for colder temperatures and snow to return to the northern Rockies as we end January and start February. Stay tuned.
