Montana weather

Tuesday and Wednesday will be bringing another round of much needed mountain snow to southwest Montana, with over a foot of fresh snow possible. Many other portions of Montana are also expecting many inches by Wednesday night.

It's been a couple of VERY windy days on Fort Peck Lake and the surrounding area. A Lake Wind Advisory continues all day Wednesday, with wind gusts of up to 40 mph - too dangerous for small craft boating on the lake.

Dangerous wind gusts up to 80 mph are going to howl through parts of northern Montana, with the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountain Front getting the brunt of these powerful winds.

Montana is a long way from having a normal snow pack for the year, but up to 6" of snow is expected on Sunday in parts of the state. That's in addition to whatever snowfall Montana has received so far this weekend. Fingers crossed for a very snowy Sunday. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for much of Montana.

Another round of heavy snow, up to a foot in some areas, is headed to southwest Montana this weekend. It's a welcome dump for the higher elevations, although some valleys could see several inches of fresh snow too.

Despite initial fears of a severe fire season, recent weather improvements in the Northern Rockies may reduce wildfire risks this summer.

What was supposed to be a rainy day has turned out to be a snowy day in Bozeman and southwest Montana in general. Up to 4" of fresh snow could fall in town, with up to 9" of snow in the southern mountains by Thursday night.

Yellowstone National Park is supposed to get hammered with snow and wind on Thursday. Very gusty winds combined with several inches of snow will make for dangerous conditions in the park and the surrounding areas. High elevations are expecting the most snow.

Areas near Billings and south to Wyoming border will continue to see snow, wind, and poor driving conditions until midnight tonight. Some area will have accumulated 7 fresh inches of snow by Sunday night.

The weekend is looking to see some substantial snow and colder weather in some locations across the state

A very large portion of Montana is under a High Wind Warning or Winter Storm Warning through Monday afternoon. Seriously gusty winds of up to 70 MPH are expected across most of southwest, central, western and northern Montana. Power outages are very possible and damage to trees is expected.

Several Montana ski areas have been hit hard with the mild winter, but this idea could help them recoup some of the loss.