Advisory Archive
A weak ridge of high pressure has produced partly cloudy skies and calm conditions over our area for the past 24 hours. Today, temperatures will be on the mild side with highs in the mid to upper thirties and lows in the twenties. Winds will be calm in the lower elevations, but will reach 15-20 mph out of the W-SW along the ridgetops. The existing ridge will begin to break down today bringing a better chance of unsettled weather tonight and tomorrow.
Today will be another beautiful one to be in the mountains. This morning temperatures were in the high teens and low 20s F with ridgetop winds blowing 5-15 mph from the WSW and WNW except in the Bridger Range where they were blowing 20 mph. With an upper level ridge of high pressure, no precipitation is expected until later this weekend. Some high clouds and sun are expected today with high temperatures in the upper 20s F and winds blowing 5-15 mph mostly from the west.
Lingering snow showers yesterday only added a trace of snow before skies cleared as high pressure moved over the area. With clear skies overnight temperatures dropped into the mid to low teens F while valley temperatures were a bit lower. Westerly winds were blowing 5-10 mph this morning and should remain the same today when skies will be mostly sunny and temperatures will reach the upper 20s F.
Light, but steady snowfall dropped 5 inches outside Cooke City, up to 4 inches in the southern Madison, 2-3 inches around Big Sky and the Bridger Range and 1 inch in the northern Gallatins. Westerly winds are still light at 5-10 mph with temperatures in the mid teens at 6 a.m. A few lingering showers will only drop a trace of snow this morning before high pressure nudges this system out. Under partly cloudy skies mountain temperatures will hit the mid 20s again, but dip into the single digits tonight. Ridgetop winds are forecasted to remain light.
Yesterday, scattered snow in the southern mountains deposited 1-2 inches while the mountains from Big Sky and points north only saw a trace to an inch. Southwest winds are light at 5-10 mph with mountain temperatures reading 15-20F. Today, cloudy skies will dominate our region from a moist southwesterly flow. Winds are expected to remain light as temperatures warm into the 20's before dropping to 10F tonight. Snowfall is expected this afternoon in the mountains from Big Sky southward with 2-4 inches falling by tomorrow morning. The northern mountains will only see a trace to 1 inch.
A massive low pressure system has moved out of our area and is now sitting over the midwest, continuing to suck cold air from Canada southward into Montana. This low pressure system was responsible for delivering 2-3 inches of new snow to the Bridger Range in the past 24 hours with a trace to 2 inches falling over the rest of the advisory area. Winds have been out of the NW at 15-20 mph, but will calm and shift to the west as the day progresses. Cold and dry conditions will exist over our area for the rest of the day with highs in the 20's and lows in the single digits.
The snow gods are finally smiling on southwestern Montana. In the past 24 hours, 11 inches of new snow has fallen in the Bridger Range while northern Gallatin and Madison Ranges picked up 4-6 inches. 1-3 inches has fallen in the southern Ranges.
As this cold winter storm moves off to the east, colder and drier conditions will shift into our advisory area. High temperatures today will struggle to reach 20 degrees F with lows dropping to single digits above or below zero. Winds will remain out of the W-NW at 10-20 mph along the mountain ridgetops.
In the past 24 hours the mountains near West Yellowstone and Cooke City received 7-10 inches of snow. Big Sky and the Bridger Range received 4-6 inches, and the northern Gallatin Range got only 2. Snow was falling this morning and most areas will receive an additional 3-6 inches though I'd keep an eye on the Bridger Range where a bit more is possible.
An area of low pressure has moved east and pulled cold air down into the northern part of the advisory area with single digit temperatures this morning in the Bridger Range while other areas have temperatures in the teens F. Yesterday easterly winds slowly shifted to the south before blowing from the west this morning at 10-20 mph. Winds may increase slightly this afternoon as they continue dancing around the compass moving to the northwest. With cold air descending into the area, temperatures will only climb in to the teens to low 20s F today.
Yesterday the southern Madison Range received an inch of snow while all other areas remained dry. This morning with a major storm approaching winds increased blowing 10-30 mph from the southeast with temperatures in the teens F. Snowfall will start in the southern regions and move north before wrapping around east of the advisory area. At 4 a.m. the first wave of snow was approaching the mountains near West Yellowstone where 6-8 inches should fall by tomorrow morning. The mountains near Big Sky and Cooke City should get 4-6 inches, and the Bridger Range will receive 2-4 inches. Temperatures will only climb into the low 20s F with strong winds continuing to blow from the southeast near 30 mph. By this afternoon winds should calm and shift to a more southerly direction.
Yesterday the southern Madison Range and the mountains near West Yellowstone received an inch of snow, and today along with Cooke City they will get an additional 1-3 inches. All other areas remained dry and might see a trace of snow today. This morning temperatures were in the mid to low teens F with winds blowing from the south and southwest at 5-10 mph in Bridger Range and 10-15 mph with gusts in the 20s everywhere else. Expect winds to remain the same for most of today with a slight increase late this morning. Temperatures will rise into the mid 20s F.