Helena’s weather outlook for today, created at 5:15 AM on Tuesday, the 9th of April. Overnight, patchy fog. Low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Looking ahead, Tuesday, rain before noon, then rain and possibly a thunderstorm between noon and 3pm, then rain after 3pm. High near 41. North northwest wind 8 to 17 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible. Tuesday Night, rain before 8pm, then rain and snow between 8pm and 1am, then snow after 1am. Low around 33. Breezy, with a northwest wind 14 to 22 mph, with gusts as high as 32 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible. Next, Wednesday, snow likely before 2pm, then a chance of rain and snow. Cloudy, with a high near 41. North wind 7 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 70%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Sunrise today will be at 6:52 am and the sun will set at 8:07 pm.
There are 2 local weather hazards at the time of this report. Here are those local weather hazards.
Hydrologic Outlook. Hydrologic Outlook National Weather Service Great Falls Mountain Time 412 AM Mountain Daylight Time Tue Apr 9 2019. Strong Spring Storm to Continue to Impact the Region through Wednesday. A strong spring storm will continue to bring significant amounts of rain and snow to Southwest and most of North Central Montana through Wednesday evening. As of early Tuesday morning, liquid equivalent totals so far of generally 0. to to 0. inches have been observed across the region, with isolated amounts approaching 1. inches over the higher terrain. High snow levels of 5000 to 8000 feet through the afternoon hours today will lead to the predominate precipitation type over the plains of North Central Montana, valleys of Southwest Montana, and up through the mid slopes of the surrounding mountains to be rain. These snow levels will then gradually fall to around 4000 to 5000 feet by this evening, which will lead to a transition to snow over most of Southwest Montana and a rain snow mix over parts of North Central Montana. Additional precipitation amounts through Wednesday evening of 0. to 1 inch are expected, however, pockets of 1 to 1. inches are possible in the foothills and mountains. Some of this additional precipitation at lower elevations is expected to fall as snow, with a majority of this precipitation falling as snow in the mountains. Rain falling on any existing snow may lead to significant runoff into area streams, creeks, and rivers. Rises on area streams and creeks may lead to flooding, especially those that originate from the mid slopes. In addition, ponding of water may also occur in low-lying and poor drainage areas. Roads over or near creeks or streams may experience flooding, while roads near rocky hillsides may see minor rock slides.
Urgent – winter weather message. Winter storm warning in effect from 6 pm this evening to 6 pm Mountain Daylight Time wednesday above 5000 feet. What. Heavy snow expected above 5000 feet. Total snow accumulations of 6 to 12 inches, with isolated amounts approaching 18 inches, are expected. Where. Elevations above 5000 feet for the Northern Rocky Mountain Front, Central and Southern Lewis and Clark County, and Southern Rocky Mountain Front. When. From 6 PM this evening to 6 PM Mountain Daylight Time Wednesday. Additional details. Travel could be difficult, especially over Marias, Rogers, and MacDonald Passes. The wet and heavy nature of the snow could bring down tree limbs, and may impact newborn livestock. Note. Augusta, Browning, Choteau, and the Helena Valley are not included with this Winter Storm Warning. Precautionary/preparedness actions. The latest road conditions for the state you are calling from can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Stay tuned for weather updates since the weather’s always changing.
