A big change in the weather is expected throughout the northern Rockies starting this weekend and lasting through next week.
The pattern starts to change this weekend with periods of mainly light mountain snow showers.
National Weather Service-Missoula forecasters say snow, wind and cold temperatures will ramp up in intensity in multiple phases through next week.
Heavy mountain snowfall is expected for locations along and south of Highway 2 from Monday through Wednesday. Several inches of snow is likely for many western Montana valleys Sunday into Monday.
North/northeast winds will pick up across the entire region as yet another arctic front pushes into the region causing blowing snow and potentially dangerous wind chills ranging from minus 10 to minus 30 degrees. Flash freezing on roads and sidewalks is likely.
The bitterly cold temperatures will linger through next week.
