BILLINGS — Significant snowfall is expected in the Red Lodge Foothills, Sheridan Foothills, Bighorn and Pryor Mountains, and southern Powder River, Carter, Rosebud, and Big Horn Counties Monday night and Tuesday. Areas in the mountains and foothills may see 6+ inches of snow, with the Absaroka/Beartooth and Crazy Mountains likely receiving a foot of new shower at higher elevations.
Winter Weather Advisories have been issued in some mountain foothill locations with 2 to 6 inches of snow for the Beartooth Foothills and Paradise Valley, with locally higher amounts possible. Some areas in southeast Montana could get 4 to 8 inches.
Roads may become slick and slushy, particularly on I-90 between Crow Agency and Buffalo, WY, and US-212 from Crow Agency to Alzada. Travel through the Bighorns on Highway 14 is expected to be difficult to impossible.
Precipitation will likely begin as rain at lower elevations Monday night before transitioning to snow during the day on Tuesday.
On Tuesday night, the upper trough will move out, leading to a dry day on Wednesday under a ridging pattern. A Pacific trough will again bring mountain snow and chance of rain/snow showers for lower elevations late Thursday into Friday, accompanied by strong winds, especially in gap areas and foothills.
After Thursday, another brief period of ridging will be followed by another Pacific trough on Saturday, which might result in less wind but still snow accumulation in the mountains.
Highs on Tuesday are projected to be in the 30s and 40s°. For the remainder of the week, temperatures are expected to range from the mid 40s to mid 50s°F, with the potential for above-normal temperatures as a ridge builds over the intermountain west early next week.
With heavy snowfall in the high country, recreation will be challenging. The avalanche danger remains high through Tuesday morning in the Absaroka/Beartooth mountains.
