BUTTE — A small ridge of high pressure is delivering quieter weather to southwest Montana... at least for now. We had a few subfreezing lows Wednesday morning, but we still warmed to fairly seasonable levels by afternoon. Late tonight and early Thursday will be mostly clear to clear and seasonably cool, but slightly warmer than this morning. Lows will range from the lower 30s to the lower 40s.
Thursday will be a mostly sunny to sunny with moderate breezes in advance of a cold front which is approaching from southern Canada. Due to the dry weather and fuel, along with stronger wind and warmer highs, many parts of Montana will be under Red Flag Warnings Thursday afternoon and evening. Highs will range from the lower 70s to the lower 80s, with changes beginning Friday afternoon.
A cold front will push over the northern Rockies through the day Friday and early Saturday. We can expect increasing clouds and cooler highs, but only a few light showers. A second trough will push over Montana late Saturday, Sunday and next Monday. We'll have a much more rapid drop in temperatures with areas of rain at times, mostly Sunday. The mountains will also have a chance for snow showers.
That trough of low pressure will make its way eastward and out of our region through the course of the day on Monday. Isolated showers will be possible, but we'll likely have a dry day in most areas with decreasing clouds. Both Monday and Tuesday will be cooler than average for both overnight lows and daytime highs, but we will have a warming trend to start the week. Next Wednesday will be mild.
