MISSOULA - A low pressure system and cold front will bring precipitation to the Northern Rockies this afternoon into Wednesday morning.
Mountain passes such as Lolo, Lookout and Marias will see the most snow with 8" to 12" possible by Wednesday afternoon.
Lost Trail Pass will see the next highest amount with 4" to 7" of snow.
Passes along the Divide (Rogers, MacDonald and Homestake) will see lesser amounts of 1" to 3".
Valleys will mostly remain dry through this evening, then a wintry mix of snow, rain/snow or freezing rain will develop into Wednesday morning.
Most of the impacts will occur from those that see freezing rain leading to icy roads for the Wednesday morning commute.
Little to no snow accumulation is expected for most valleys.
Winds will pick up tonight into Wednesday with this system. Expect gusts around 30 to 40 mph for Western Montana.
High pressure leads to dry weather Thursday through Saturday with highs in the mid-30s to low 40s.
A shift to a more active weather pattern looks to develop by Sunday and continue into next week.
Models are showing a more robust and strong system developing by around next Tuesday and Wednesday.
