A cold front is ushering in widespread brisk winds, chilly temperatures and some scattered snow to Montana. Forecasters say true wintery conditions are just around the corner.
Several inches of heavy, wet snow Wednesday morning made for challenging driving conditions in northwest Montana, brought down branches and knocked out power to thousands of Flathead Electric Cooperative members.
Meteorologists say that’s just the beginning of a very active and wintery weather pattern expected to last through at least early next week.
Heavy, wet mountain snow is expected along the Montana-Idaho border Thursday night into Friday. Over a foot is possible in the Clearwater and Bitterroot mountains, with two to four inches for valleys below 4,000 feet.
Below-normal temperatures in the 20's and 30's, along with potentially powerful winds are likely for north central Montana tomorrow through the weekend.
Confidence is rising among forecasters that starting Sunday most of the state will get a serious dose of wintery weather, meaning scattered snow, daytime highs barely cracking the freezing mark and overnight lows in the single digits.
