Montana Weather 3/8 Midday - High Wind Warning

Good afternoon. Montana. I'm Matt Mullins. Folks, this isn't a gentle Sunday breeze. This is wind that means business. Central Montana is getting absolutely pummeled right now. West winds screaming at 40 to 49 miles an hour, gusting to 74. That's strong enough to snap branches and send trash cans into orbit. Blowing dust is cutting visibility to near zero in spots. High Wind Warnings stay up through midnight. If it's not tied down, it's gone. Eastern Montana? You've got partly sunny skies and a pleasant 69 degrees, but don't let that fool you. West winds are howling at 26 to 31 miles an hour with 45 mile an hour gusts. Over in Western Montana, mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain after 11 A.M. Highs reach 54 degrees as southwest winds gust to 35. Now here's the plot twist. A cold front barrels in from the north tonight, flipping the script completely. Central Montana crashes to 28 degrees with rain and snow mixing in. Eastern Montana cools to 32 under partly cloudy skies. Western Montana drops to 31 as rain transitions to snow after 4 A.M. Monday brings snow showers statewide. Western Montana takes the brunt — 70 percent chance with accumulations under half an inch. Eastern Montana sees mixed rain and snow. Central Montana clears faster, reaching 47 degrees. The week ahead? Tuesday brings another snow round. Wednesday offers a brief break. But Thursday? Another wind event brewing, potentially stronger than today. Rain and snow return Thursday night through Saturday. One more thing — spring forward tonight. Set those clocks ahead one hour before bed. ! See you this evening.