Advisory Archive
Hello winter, it’s great to see you. Snowfall totals since Saturday morning are 15 inches in the Bridger Range and areas just south of West Yellowstone. Most other places received 5-8 inches since then. This morning temperatures at ridgetops had dropped to the single digits F. On Sunday winds blew 15-30 mph generally from the W and calmed Monday to 10-15 mph.
Today temperatures will rise into the teens to 20s F and westerly winds will steadily increase through the day. Snowfall will return this evening and produce about 2 inches by tomorrow morning. Winds from the SW will get cranking on Thursday ahead of a trough of low pressure that will bring more snow Thursday night.
Snow accumulated in places like Butte and Billings yesterday but left Bozeman and much of the advisory area with only a trace to one inch of snow. The exception was the Bridger Range which received 4 inches of snow. Mountain temperatures this morning were in the high teens to low 20s F. Easterly winds blew yesterday at 15 mph with gusts of 25 mph and calmed this morning to 5-10 mph. A few more snowflakes could fall today in the southern reaches of the advisory area. Drier conditions will last until Thursday when some snowfall is possible. More likely on Thursday will be strong NW winds and colder temperatures.
Over the past 24 hours the mountains of southwest Montana picked up roughly .5 inches of precipitation. In most areas this fell in the form of rain, but peaks above 9,000 ft. likely received a few inches of heavy, wet snow. Today, highs will warm into the 40s at 8,000 ft. and skies will remain partly to mostly cloudy. There is a slight chance of showers this morning, but the chance of precipitation will degrease throughout the day. The most pronounced weather factor will be the wind. Gusts up to 40 mph out of the WSW can be expected at upper elevations. The rest of the week looks to be breezy and unsettled.
Over the past 24 hours the mountains of southwest Montana picked up 3-6 inches of snow above 7,000 ft. Today, an additional 1-2 inches is possible at higher elevations. This storm system will gradually push to the east and conditions will begin to dry out by this evening. A warmer and drier weather pattern will persist through the weekend.
The freezing line dipped to 7,000 feet last night. This morning the Bridger Range and Big Sky area have two inches of new snow while other areas received up to four inches. At 5 a.m. winds are blowing west at 15-30 mph under partly cloudy skies. Cloud cover will increase this morning bringing scattered snow showers throughout the day. Later tonight, winter will return for an encore. Temperatures will drop into the teens and 4-6 inches will fall in the mountains by mid-morning tomorrow.
During the last 12 hours mountain temperatures finally dropped below freezing. Currently, under cloudy skies, temperatures are in the mid to upper 20s with west winds blowing 15-20 mph. Rain and wet snow fell yesterday, with snowfall amounts dependent on elevation. The Bridger Range had a rain/snow mixture while above 9,000 feet four to six inches fell around Big Sky, Cooke City and West Yellowstone. Today will be mostly cloudy with temperatures rising into the 40s and westerly winds blowing 20 mph. Intermittent snow showers will drop 1-2 inches by morning.
At 5 a.m. mountain temperatures at 9,000 feet are in the mid-thirties with ridgetop winds blowing 20-30 mph out of the west under cloudy skies. Today will…rain. There, I said it, the dreaded “r” word. And maybe even thunder. Freezing levels will drop to 6,000 feet tonight and rain will turn to snow. By morning I expect 2-4 inches. The weekend should be cold and snowy, so put away your shorts and flip-flops and find your ice scraper; I’m guessing you’ll need it.
