MISSOULA — A cold front will move through western Montana this morning. As it does, scattered rain showers will first start in northwest Montana early Thursday then move into west-central and southwest Montana.
Breezy winds will also develop today as the cold front moves through. Expect gusts around 25-to-35 mph across western Montana. A Lake Wind Advisory has been issued for Flathead Lake through 1 p.m. this afternoon. Strong winds will lead to choppy lake conditions with wave heights of 1-to-3 feet.
Rain showers will come to an end Thursday afternoon with conditions remaining mostly dry through Friday morning. Our next system will then bring another round of rain showers Friday afternoon and evening. Expect highs Friday to top out in the 50s to low 60s.
Looking at the weekend, scattered off and on rain showers can't be ruled out on both Saturday and Sunday. In between showers expect a mix of sun and clouds with highs mostly in the 50s Saturday and 60s Sunday.
By next week, models are showing a ridge of high pressure once again building over the western United States. This will bring warm, sunny, hazy and dry conditions back to western Montana as temperatures warm into the middle and upper 70s.
