Travel could be very difficult at times in parts of southwest Montana through Monday morning. Several inches, perhaps up to 6 inches of snow is expected to fall intermittently in this weekend storm.
It's literally the perfect storm for Butte, Bozeman, Billings, Baker, and everywhere in between. Heavy snowfall, dangerous winds, and drastically cold temperatures are expected across most of Montana. Don't be surprised if Emergency Travel Only statements are issued.
Howling winds are going to continue on that notorious stretch of I-90 from Livingston to Columbus, up to 50 MPH at times. With so much fallen snow in the last couple of days, this is a real problem in terms of how much you can see while driving on the highway.
Another powerful system is moving into Montana, affecting dozens of counties and popular mountain ranges - meaning powder days at the ski hill! Southwest Montana should be a large recipient of the snow, with up to 20" of snow at high elevations.
The notorious I-90 corridor through Livingston, Montana and areas east are experiencing severe crosswinds up to 65 MPH. These dangerous winds are expected to continue through at least Wednesday morning.
Slow moving traffic lines heading up Bridger Canyon is nothing new on powder days. God help you if you're driving up on a weekend powder day. Your chances of getting a place to park and enjoy your day of skiing are dwindling. There ARE things we can do to alleviate the parking issue, but my faith is not that high.
Monday might be a little sketchy. Just when you finished all the shoveling and chipping away at ice in the driveway, another storm is moving in that may dump up to 10" of fresh powder in the higher elevations surrounding Bozeman.
We all knew the arctic blast was coming, with wind chill factors of -35 possible. And reality they became. Early Monday morning, Montana was packed full of wickedly cold air temps with significant wind gusts in several locations.
Get ready for a round of significant snowfall followed by sub zero temperatures across dozens of Montana counties. Snow in the valleys could make driving conditions difficult, but the mountain passes could get well over a foot of fresh snow.
When it hasn't been snowing, it's been very foggy in the valleys of southwest Montana so far this week. Dense fog has created dangerous driving conditions at times.