Winter Weather Advisory

After temperatures in the mid 50s this week, the southern mountains of Montana could get a welcomed blast of fresh snow by Friday night. The only downer is that significant winds will probably accompany this new storm front, so back country adventurists need to use caution.

Travelers have encountered howling winds and ground blizzard conditions on Thanksgiving while traveling on Montana roads. Southwest Montana highways have been particularly hit by gusty winds consistently over 30 mph. Combined with even small amounts of snow, conditions and visibility has been quite poor.

Central and southwest Montana valleys could be dangerously slick on Thursday morning during commute hours. A perfect storm of temperature and moisture will combine to create freezing rain in several locations.

Ah, spring in Montana. Heavy, wet snow is expected all day Thursday north of White Sulphur Springs in the Lewis and Clark National Forest. Very gusty winds are expected with the snow, making travel on Highway 89 difficult at times.

It's literally the perfect storm for Butte, Bozeman, Billings, Baker, and everywhere in between. Heavy snowfall, dangerous winds, and drastically cold temperatures are expected across most of Montana. Don't be surprised if Emergency Travel Only statements are issued.

Howling winds are going to continue on that notorious stretch of I-90 from Livingston to Columbus, up to 50 MPH at times. With so much fallen snow in the last couple of days, this is a real problem in terms of how much you can see while driving on the highway.

Monday might be a little sketchy. Just when you finished all the shoveling and chipping away at ice in the driveway, another storm is moving in that may dump up to 10" of fresh powder in the higher elevations surrounding Bozeman.

Get ready for a slow commute and fresh round of shoveling, especially in southern Gallatin and Madison Counties. Lots of mountain snow and very gusty winds are possible in the higher elevations with this storm.

Traveling by car may pose challenges to Montanans ahead of Thanksgiving. Lots of mountain snow along with melting then freezing road conditions are in the forecast.

Another round of very cold temps, snow and gusty wind is invading Montana through Wednesday morning. The valleys are only supposed to get a few inches of snow out of the deal, but travel may still become sketchy during this advisory.