MISSOULA — Chances are very high for rain today - grab an umbrella, wear good waterproof shoes, and hold on!
Based on our long-range forecasts, we have plenty of wet weather sticking with us through most of Memorial Day Weekend.
Be prepared for showers to be more continuous today, but still slightly off/on. Generally, rain totals are expected to climb to .10-.25".
High temperatures today should hover around the mid 50s, with 30s and 40s this morning. However, colder air arrives with the passage of a cold front late tonight.
This cold front may create the opportunity for heavy, wet snow to fall at the mountain pass level. Weather models are struggling to show smaller ranges of how much snow to expect, but here is an idea of what could happen late tonight - tomorrow morning:
Homestake Pass: 8-12"
Butte: 4-6"
Philipsburg: 6-8"
Lost Trail Pass: 6-8"
Lolo Pass: 3-4"
Obviously, other mountain passes close to our region (MacDonald, Marias, Bozeman, and Rogers) may also see snow totals like these. If you have travel planned around any southwestern/central Montana pass, you need to be staying up to date with the forecast for Thursday morning.
For the rest of us, rain may come again another day (Thursday/Saturday/Sunday) and put a damper on outdoor festivities for the upcoming holiday. The actual Memorial Day, Monday, looks fairly nice though with 70 degree temps and sunshine. At least for now, it's all about the wet weather!
