The mild and dry autumn weather Montana’s enjoyed for weeks is about to come to an abrupt end. Major changes are expected starting this weekend.
National Weather Service-Missoula Meteorologist Alex Lukinbeal says October is so far tracking as one of the warmest on record.
Enjoy it while you can, because Lukinbeal says a significant change in the weather is just around the corner.
“Absolutely. So we’re quickly reaching that time of the year we are expecting to see snowflakes falling in the valleys,” said Lukinbeal.
By the weekend a broad, cold and wet system will dig across the Gulf of Alaska and drop into the Northern Rockies.
That means daytime temperatures across Montana could drop by up to 25 degrees. West of the Divide expect scattered valley rain showers, cold, raw backcountry conditions and even a chance for up to a foot of snow along the Idaho/Montana border.
A second round of cold, blustery weather is likely to move in early next week.
Lukinbeal tells MTPR a return to daytime highs in the 70s is unlikely as the days grow shorter and the nights longer.