BOZEMAN – Crazy weather pattern for SW Montana. Sunday’s highs fell just a few degrees short of record high levels with upper 40s and lower 50s. Monday temperatures are very close to record high levels as well, in fact, as of 1 pm Monday Butte has a tied record high and Dillon is one degree shy.
This is the second round of record highs in the month of December but a cold front will slam on the breaks to the unseasonably warm weather.
The next weather maker is a Pacific cold front that will race across Montana Tuesday morning through Tuesday afternoon. This will produce scattered snow, strong gusty winds, and colder temperatures Tuesday morning through Tuesday night.
Mountains and passes will likely see several inches of snow Tuesday with a few locally heavy bands of snow possible to impact Big Sky, Cooke City, and possibly West Yellowstone.
By Wednesday a new High-pressure ridge will build over Montana and this should settle the overall weather pattern down with drier air and chilly temperatures Wednesday. A slow warming trend is likely Thursday into Friday and improved travel weather conditions.
The National Weather Service has a new round of high wind highlights up for tonight into Tuesday.
A WIND ADVISORY is up tonight and Tuesday for the Livingston area. Gusts up to or over 60 mph are likely.
A HIGH WIND WATCH is up for most of Eastern Montana for Tuesday afternoon and evening and again peak gusts up to 60 mph are possible.
Locally, SW Montana will see strong gusty winds Monday night into Tuesday for high wind prone areas like Whitehall, Three Forks, Townsend, Ennis, Norris Hill, Monida Pass. These areas could see peak gusts greater than 50 mph at times through Tuesday afternoon.
