BOZEMAN – The weather pattern is returning to warm and windy today for most of Montana. There is a new Pacific storm lifting into the Pacific NW and this is creating a stronger SW flow aloft over Montana and helping to increase temperatures.
This new storm has a tremendous amount of moisture that will bring heavy wet snow to higher elevations and a strong possibility of rain in the next few days over Northern Idaho and far Western Montana.
The National Weather Service has a FLOOD WATCH up for the Idaho panhandle beginning Wednesday as heavy rain is possible.
The favored upslope region along the MT/ID state line will see the brunt of the moisture over the next 3 days. Travel impacts are likely for I-90 west of Missoula through Spokane, WA.
The increased heavy wet moisture is also creating higher avalanche danger for western mountain ranges this week.
This new storm will impact far western Montana for several days but this storm will eventually move over the Northern Rockies and bring increasing rain changing to snow to SW Montana Wednesday through Saturday and cooling temperatures by the weekend.
Other impacts include high wind gusts for downsloping areas along the Rocky Mountain Front and Upper Yellowstone region through Tuesday afternoon.
Higher mountain snow above 6,000’ is possible for SW Montana Monday through Wednesday and some localized moderate accumulations are possible. All mountain ranges and possibly lower valleys will see snow by Friday.
