Weather forecasters last week announced Montana would soon get a bout of chilly weather. Details have come into better focus and this week’s wintery weather forecast is a doozy.
The National Weather Service said a dramatic wintery storm is likely to cut through the northern Rockies starting Tuesday afternoon.
Northwest Montana will likely be the first to feel the impacts with challenging driving conditions over Marias Pass.
Lookout, Lolo, MacDonald, Homestake and Lost Trail passes could get up to eight inches of snow by Wednesday afternoon.
Forecasters said accumulations won’t be limited to the higher elevations. The Flathead and Missoula Valleys could receive an inch or two of snow by mid-week. Three to six inches are possible for Georgetown Lake and Butte.
Further east a few inches are possible from Miles City to the Billings area by Tuesday night.
Our mild-autumn temperatures, meanwhile, will soon be replaced with daytime highs in the 20’s and 30’s with overnight lows in the teens. Forecasters said temperatures in Bozeman could drop into the single digits by Thursday night.
Forecasters urge gardeners to harvest their late crops before it’s too late, sprinkler systems should be winterized as soon as possible and drivers need to be prepared for some potentially dicey road conditions this week.
