Get Ready for a Week of "Dangerous" Montana Cold

National Weather Service forecasters say we're heading into a period of "dangerous cold" in parts of Montana from tonight through Thursday, with some of the lowest overall temperatures we've seen this winter.

And while weather models are notorious for being able to completely project what happens when cold air "pools" in our Western Montana valleys, there's some potential for us to have some of the coldest mornings in years.

Still, no matter how cold it gets for Missoula, Kalispell, Bozeman, and Billings, you won't want to trade places with the towns on the high plains.

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How cold in Montana this week?

The weather office in Great Falls has issued a raft of cold weather watches, advisories, and warnings for the entire northern half of the state. After some light snow this morning, skies will clear and air temperatures will plunge, with lows across Northern Montana of nearly 30 below, with wind chills of 40-to-45 below zero.

The worst will be along the HiLine and the border. Forecasters say Glasgow could be close to 40-below and negative 35 in locations like Malta, Glendive, and Jordan. Plentywood could be the most frigid, with a low forecast of 43-below, not counting windchill.

Montana will be colder than Alaska

If you've ever wanted to visit Fairbanks, you can save yourself the airfare by just stepping out the door this week. Fairbanks could be 20-to-30 degrees warmer.

Western Montana valleys will range from -10 to as much as -20 Tuesday morning. And some locations like Ovando and Wisdom will be 25 to 30 degrees below zero. Butte residents may experience as cold as -21 to -31 on Tuesday morning.

NWS graphic

Dangerous wind chill

Although there are no major winds in the forecast, even light winds are likely to push wind chills in many areas to -20 or colder. So be sure to layer up, limit your time outdoors as much as possible. And if you're traveling, be sure to have complete emergency gear in your car or truck.