Brace for Snow, Then Sunshine: Montana’s Spring Weather Swings from Cold to Warm

If you have spent any time in Montana during the spring, you will know there are some guarantees. One of them is the weather is unpredictable. This week is a perfect example of this.

Related: Spring in Montana: 5 Things That Are Guaranteed to Happen

For those that aren't quite ready to say goodbye to winter yet, you are in luck. Parts of Montana are forecast to get some significant snowfall over the next few days.

I spoke with Jen Kitsmiller from the Missoula office of the National Weather Service on what we can expect.

It's spring like weather, which means a kind of mixed precipitation in a lot of the valleys and some pretty good snow in in the higher terrain. It looks like that's coming in tonight, and tomorrow is going to be focused mainly near the Continental Divide from Butte northward up towards Glacier. A lot of those areas are going to see some snowfall tonight, especially in the mountains over Homestake Pass, McDonald Pass, and Marias pass, several inches of snow are expected.

The lower the elevation the less chance of snow accumulations, but overnight low temperatures can drop into the mid-20s. Roads in Western Montana and the Continental Divide passes may be slick in the early morning hours. Be careful and safe when traveling.

Big Temperature Change Coming Next Week

The precipitation and colder temperature will be short-lived. Kitsmiller says there is high confidence a ridge of high pressure will move into the area and we will see warmer temperatures. There is currently a 30% chance that Missoula may hit 80 degrees by Monday. We may see an over 50 degree swing in temperatures over the next week. Nothing new in Montana.

This weekend may be a good time to get out those shorts and sandals for next week. But make sure you don't put away all of your winter gear just yet. Because you never know what we will see next week.