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High Winds and Mountain Blizzards Sweep the Northern U.S., With More Weekend Snow Ahead

Forecasters cite a tight pressure gradient plus Pacific moisture driving dangerous winds with feet of high‑terrain snow.

How’s the weather looking for your Thursday? Get your latest Maine’s Total Weather video forecast from Meteorologist Ted McInerney.
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A truck crosses an intersection in Plymouth, Wis., during a Jan. 9, 2024, winter storm that prompted power outages across Wisconsin. The outages caused food spoilage in some households, but not all FoodShare recipients knew they could request replacement benefits to purchase fresh food. Gary C. Klein / USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin
Jerry Jackson rides his bike on a cold day on Cochrane Street on January 29, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. - Millions of Americans braced Tuesday for a dangerous polar vortex which began to settle over a large swath of the United States, threatening to set new records as schools and businesses closed and authorities warned of frostbite. Temperatures in almost a dozen states stretching over 1,200 miles from the Dakotas to Ohio were forecast to be the coldest in a generation, if not on record. (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY / AFP) (Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Overview

  • National Weather Service alerts span High Wind, Blizzard and Winter Storm warnings across Montana and other northern states, with officials urging residents in warned zones to delay travel.
  • Measured gusts have already topped 100 mph in parts of the High Plains, and forecasters warn of downed trees, power outages and hazardous crosswinds for high‑profile vehicles.
  • Blizzard conditions are occurring or expected in mountain passes such as Marias and Rogers on the Rocky Mountain Front, with 1 to 4 feet of snow in western Montana and up to 3 feet in the Cascades.
  • Butte schools canceled classes for Thursday with classes set to resume Monday as travel deteriorates and whiteout conditions develop in parts of Montana.
  • The windstorm shifts east through Friday with 50–70 mph gusts into the Midwest and Ohio Valley, followed by a separate weekend system likely to bring heavy snow and mixed precipitation to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes before a rapid warmup next week raises quick‑melt concerns.