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2w ago

Montana Braces for Powerful Spring Storm With Damaging Winds and Rapid Turn to Snow

Forecasters flag a sharp temperature plunge likely to snarl travel in exposed mountain corridors.

MAMMOTH LAKES, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 28: A person walks past a walkway between a snowbank as snow falls in the Sierra Nevada mountains from yet another storm system which is bringing heavy snow to higher elevations on March 28, 2023 in Mammoth Lakes, California. The Pacific storm is delivering widespread rain and mountain snow to the U.S. west coast in Northern California and Oregon. After years of drought, the state snowpack average for California may hit an all time record from the several feet of new snow expected to fall during the storm in parts of the Sierra Nevada mountains. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Overview

  • Record or near‑record warmth and very dry air raised fire danger Wednesday, with Red Flag Warnings in effect from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. as strong southerly winds and 10%–20% humidity primed grasslands to ignite.
  • A High Wind Watch begins tonight through Thursday afternoon, with gusts reaching 50–60+ mph in parts of central and southern Montana including the Livingston–Big Timber–Harlowton corridor.
  • A cold front moving through this evening into tonight will flip winds to the northwest and drop temperatures quickly, with lows by Thursday morning in the upper 20s to 30s and much cooler days to follow.
  • Rain develops behind the front and changes to snow as levels crash from around 7,500 feet to near the valley floors by Thursday morning, with a Winter Storm Watch for the Absaroka and Beartooth ranges where over 8 inches is likely.
  • Heavy snow bands and strong winds could drive whiteout conditions along US‑87 and MT‑200 through the Little Belts and the Lewistown Divide, with travel disruptions through Friday and some stream rises from snowmelt but no flooding expected.