This morning’s low temperature of 19-degrees in Missoula is the coldest since March 7.
And it’s only a harbinger of wintery weather to come says National Weather Service Meteorologist Trent Smith.
"We have multiple systems that are going to start impacting western Montana, actually all of Montana," he said.
The first system is expected to bring cold air and a few inches of snow to western Montana - mostly along the continental divide – starting tonight.
The next wintery plume of moisture could bring anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow to northwest Montana starting Thursday.
Another cold front will move in on Friday and Saturday which will push that moisture to the south.
"Here in the valleys, especially northwest Montana, over that 5-day period we could see anywhere from 5 to 12 inches of snow – in the valleys. That could impact the towns of Libby, Troy Kalispell and West Glacier," Smith said.
The forecast gets a little tricky to pin down the further south you go. Smith says most locations across west central Montana could see anywhere from a half inch to six inches of snow. That’s a pretty big spread, but it’s just too soon to know where the warm and cold air will collide.
Daytime highs will range from the upper 30s to low 40s for the foreseeable future.