You Won’t Believe Montana Weather Next Week

It would be hard to believe next week's weather forecast, even if Montana's mountains weren't getting buried in snow and hurricane-force winds weren't making life miserable.

But with the most robust storm of the winter still battering parts of the Treasure State right now, visualizing temperatures in the upper 60s, and plenty of sun seems especially screwball.

However, that's what long-range forecasts are showing next week, and likely through the end of the month, as a massive high-pressure system is likely to lock down on the entire breadth of the West.

Warmer, probably drier next week

National Weather Service forecasters say starting Wednesday, Montana temperatures are expected to climb back into the 60s, and likely remain "above normal" through March 22nd. By late next week, Missoula and the Bitterroot could be crowding 70 degrees.

     ☀️ And that warmth could last to nearly the end of the month.

Northwest Montana could receive "near normal" precipitation, with the rest of the state ranging from leaning "below normal."

But before then…

Heavy snow is expected to continue in the mountains and in some of the higher valleys through Friday into Saturday. Some locations, especially along the Northern Divide, the Bitterroot and Sapphire ranges, and the Mission Mountains, could see anywhere from 2 feet to 4 feet of snow.

The Blackfoot, Seeley-Swan, and other higher valleys may receive up to 1 and a half feet of snow, which Central Montana looks to be in the bullseye of 20 to 30".

Not that unusual

Anyone who's been around Montana for any stretch of time can tell a lot of stories about March's weather. In 2014, we were still digging out from a major blizzard at the end of February. More recently, in 2019, heavy snow continued to stack up all the way to the first of April.

"Oh yeah, absolutely. You know, maybe not something we see every year. But it's definitely not out of the ordinary." -NWS Lead Meteorologist Jenn Kitsmiller.

Winds die down

Although winds were still gusty in Livingston, Big Timber, Harlowton, and Lewistown Thursday evening, most other areas had calmed considerably from early in the day. At one point, unofficial wind gust readings hit 104 mph on Judith Peak, and 98 at Logan Pass, with many more locations in the 70-to-80 mile per hour range.

It was estimated that as many as 13,000 customers were without power at one point on Thursday afternoon.