Hang on to your hats, because the National Weather Service is predicting strong winds in the western Montana valleys and mountains starting Tuesday.

Meteorologist Genki Kino said the winds should begin gusting by the afternoon hours on Tuesday.

"We have a cold front moving in, and that's what's going to bring gusty winds to our area," Kino said. "Overall for western Montana, we're looking at sustained winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts in the 30 or even up to 45 miles per hour range for some select valley locations,"

Kino said the winds will be strong enough to cause some possible difficulties for tall vehicles on the mountain passes, and could cause downed trees in the area.

"It's mainly just for high-profile vehicles that may have some issues," he said. "We're not expecting any major problems. Basically, the winds will help knock many of the remaining leaves off many trees in the Missoula area."

The National Weather Service said the main impact for west central Montana will be from 5:00 p.m. till about 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

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