Winter Storm Brewing for the Weekend in Western Montana

The National Weather Service is calling for valley snow and colder temperatures for the coming weekend.

Meteorologist Leeann Allegretto provides details on the storm that will arrive on Saturday afternoon.

“We've got another cold air mass coming down out of Canada and it's going to interact with a lot of moisture that's moving up from the Pacific Coast south of here,” said Allegretto. “Those two will interact and produce quite a bit of snow in some locations. Right now we feel pretty confident that the highest amounts will be along the Continental Divide, but we feel slightly good that a widespread one to three inches is possible for the Missoula and Bitterroot Valley as well.”

Allegretto said Missoula should expect the snowfall to start late Saturday and continue through Sunday.

“The snowfall will start likely Saturday late afternoon into the evening hours and it should last through the day Sunday,” she said. “The worst period though for traveling in valley locations and populated areas will be Saturday night through Sunday morning.”

Allegretto said the mild fall temperatures will give way to the cold front as it moves through the area.

“It'll definitely feel a lot colder,” she said. “We're expecting low temperatures in the teens with easterly winds on top of that, so morning temperatures, from Sunday into Monday will be quite brisk with the wind chills, but then daytime temperatures will be in the 30’s possibly low 40’s depending on how far west you are.”

Allegretto advises Missoula residents to keep checking the National Weather Service website for changing conditions.