BOZEMAN – Coldest temperatures of the winter season are likely over the next 3 nights for most of Montana.
The southern lobe of the Polar Vortex is shooting cold dense Arctic air southward into the northern and central Rockies. Temperatures are running between 20 to 40 degrees colder compared to Sunday afternoon and air temperatures mid-day Monday are only in the low single digits.
The snow is ending and now we will be with extremely cold air temperatures and dangerously low wind chill temperatures Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday morning.
Light to moderate snow will continue from Livingston eastward through Billings to Miles City tonight and for that reason the National Weather Service has extended the WINTER STORM WARNING through Tuesday morning for this region. Travel is not recommended as the combination of snow, blowing snow, extremely cold air temperatures and dangerously low wind chills are in the forecast.
The National Weather Service has WIND CHILL WARNINGS up along the Continental Divide including Butte and WIND CHILL ADVISORIES for the rest of SW Montana until further notice. Feels like temperatures between –30 to –40 below zero are possible in the overnight and early morning hours for SW Montana. This means frost bite is possible within 30 minutes. Try and limit your exposure to the extreme cold as much as possible.
Forecast lows for Tuesday morning will be well below zero in SW Montana. Some of the coldest temperatures could be in the Butte, Anaconda, Wisdom, Wise River, Deer Lodge region with partial clearing by Tuesday morning.
Clouds could linger over the eastern half of SW Montana and thus the forecast temperatures are not as cold, however, forecast temperatures will be well below zero and again wind chills between –30 to –40 below zero are possible.
Skies will be clearing across the entire region Tuesday night setting the stage for even colder temperatures by Wednesday morning both west and east of the Continental Divide.
I will have updated and possibly adjusted forecast lows for tonight with my live forecast at 5:30 pm on KXLF and KBZK.
There is some good weather news to share with you but it will not come until the end of the weekend into early next week. Temperatures should warm nicely back up into the upper 30s to mid 40s by February 28th.
