Powerful Winds That Will Rock Northern Montana Through Tuesday

Dangerous wind gusts up to 80 mph are going to howl through parts of northern Montana, with the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountain Front getting the brunt of these powerful winds.

• HIGH WIND WATCH NOW IN EFFECT FROM LATE MODAY NIGHT THROUGH TUESDAY AFTERNOON.
• WHAT...West winds 35 to 45 mph, with gusts up to 60 mph possible.
• Isolated wind gusts up to 80 mph are possible along the immediate eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountain Front.
• WHERE...The Montana Hi-Line adjacent to the Rocky Mountain Front, and Southern Rocky Mountain Front.
• WHEN...From late tonight through Tuesday afternoon.
• IMPACTS...Travel could be difficult, especially for high profile vehicles.
• ADDITIONAL DETAILS...Two distinct periods of strong and gusty winds are likely from late tonight through Tuesday afternoon, with a brief reduction in winds during the mid- to late morning hours on Tuesday.
• The first period of strong and gusty winds will occur from late Monday night through the early morning hours on Tuesday as mountain waves move east off of the Rocky Mountain Front, with the second period of strong winds occurring during afternoon hours on Tuesday.

Hundreds of miles away, counties in southeastern Montana are still dealing with winter weather advisories until late morning on Monday. Gusty winds and a couple of inches of fresh snow are making for difficult driving conditions with low visibility.

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The dangerous wind gusts of up to 80 mph are for now focused on just a few counties in northern Montana. However, many parts of Montana will experience decent wind gusts on Monday and Tuesday but do not have a High Wind Watch in effect. Be careful while driving across the state during this time.