Western Montana Braces For Freezing Rain and Snow This Weekend

The weather in Western Montana has been fairly consistent and stagnant for the past week. Western Montana is expected to see weather changes this weekend and not all of the changes are going to be positive, especially for those traveling the roads and passes.

We have been experiencing inversions and freezing valley fog over the past few days. Once you get above the inversions there have been sunny skies but the inversions have been tough for the sun to break through until the afternoon. The National Weather Service and Weather.com are both forecasting showers to be entering into Western Montana this weekend starting with possibility of freezing rain and then turning to snow.

The long-range forecast for Montana is still looking for a good chance of colder temps and above average snowfall, so far, much of the state hasn't seen it, but that doesn't mean it won't arrive.

Read More: Latest: Montana Still on Track for Cold, Wet Winter

This system isn't expected to bring a lot as far as accumulation, but we may see areas of freezing rain, which can cause hazardous driving conditions. The system is forecasted to bring rain on Saturday with warmer temperatures and then turning to snow overnight with showers continuing into Sunday. The forecast calls for showers to start to decrease into Sunday evening and overnight into Monday.

For me, driving in freezing rain is the worst, much worse than driving in snow. The beginning of next week is expected to see mostly cloudy skies, but a much less chance of showers. If you are planning on traveling this weekend stay updated on changing weather conditions and drive safe. See below for driving tips from AAA and the National Weather Service.