Montana Weather 3/9 Morning - High Wind Warning

Good morning. Montana. I'm Michael Mosby. Yesterday you hit 63 degrees. This morning? Try 30. That's a 40-degree nosedive courtesy of a cold front that swept through like it had somewhere to be. Snow showers are tracking west to east across northern Montana right now. Eastern Montana woke up to mixed precipitation — that'll peak around 11 A.M., then taper off. Out west, the heaviest snow hits this afternoon around 3 P.M. Central Montana saw a quick burst around 7 A.M., but you're already clearing out. Most valleys pick up an inch or less today. The mountains? Several inches, especially along the Continental Divide. Down in Billings, you'll hit 47 degrees with rain and snow showers on and off all day. Tonight drops to 29 with lingering flurries. Over in Missoula, expect 41 degrees with a coin flip on light snow. West winds gust to 29 miles an hour — enough to rattle your fence. Tonight falls to 23. Great Falls reaches 42 under mostly sunny skies after early snow clears. But here's the kicker — winds gust to 47 miles an hour this afternoon. The strongest in the state. Tonight plunges to 18. Tuesday brings another round of snow, especially for the mountains and southern foothills. Highs range from mid-30s to low 40s. Wednesday warms into the 40s and low 50s as winds ramp up again. Thursday's the big story — potentially damaging winds with gusts hitting 60 miles an hour or higher across the plains. Highs reach the 50s and low 60s before a cold front crashes in. Friday through the weekend turns active and much colder. Heavy mountain snow is likely, with accumulating snow spreading across the plains by Saturday. Highs drop from the 40s Friday to the 30s Saturday and 20s to 30s Sunday. Enjoy the quiet today. Thursday's bringing a beast. See you this afternoon.