739
FXUS65 KMSO 181926
AFDMSO
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE MISSOULA MT
1226 PM MST TUE FEB 18 2025
DISCUSSION
KEY MESSAGES:
- ANOTHER ROUND OF WIDESPREAD LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WEDNESDAY
- A WARMER, ATMOSPHERIC RIVER LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY NEXT
WEEK. SNOWLEVELS RISING TO ABOVE 5000 FEET THROUGHOUT THE
NORTHERN ROCKIES.
SCATTERED SNOW SHOWERS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON,
MAINLY FOR LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE I-90 CORRIDOR IN WESTERN
MONTANA. LEMHI COUNTY AND THE CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS IN IDAHO WILL
ALSO CONTINUE TO EXPERIENCE LINGERING SNOW SHOWERS. ANY
ACCUMULATIONS THIS AFTERNOON ARE LIKELY TO BE CONFINED TO THE
MOUNTAINS. WATCH FOR ICY CONDITIONS FOR THE WEDNESDAY MORNING
COMMUTE, AS WET ROADS REFREEZE WITH TEMPERATURES LOWERING INTO THE
LOW 20S TO UPPER TEENS.
ANOTHER ROUND OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SNOW WILL ARRIVE EARLY TOMORROW
MORNING IN NORTH-CENTRAL IDAHO, SLOWLY SPREADING EAST INTO
WESTERN MONTANA BY THE EARLY AFTERNOON. WHILE SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN LIGHT (2 TO 4 INCHES) COMPARED TO RECENT
SNOW, CLEARED ROADWAYS MAY BECOME SNOW-COVERED ONCE AGAIN DURING
THE AFTERNOON AND EVENING COMMUTES.
A WARMER ATMOSPHERIC RIVER WILL ARRIVE LATE THIS WEEKEND INTO EARLY
NEXT WEEK. SNOW LEVELS WILL ALSO BEGIN RISING TO ABOVE 5,000 FEET
THROUGHOUT THE NORTHERN ROCKIES DURING THE BULK OF THE
PRECIPITATION ON SUNDAY AND MONDAY. CURRENTLY, PROBABILITIES RANGE
FROM 60 TO 80 PERCENT FOR SNOW LEVELS RISING TO 6,000 FEET FOR
LOCATIONS SOUTH OF THE I-90 CORRIDOR, WHILE SNOW LEVELS ARE
EXPECTED TO REMAIN CLOSER TO 5,000 FEET FOR LOCATIONS TO THE
NORTH. DUE TO THE WIDESPREAD NATURE OF 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW
CURRENTLY ON THE GROUND, MELTING SNOW AND LOW-ELEVATION RAIN ARE
EXPECTED TO CREATE PONDING ON AREA ROADWAYS WITH POOR DRAINAGE, AS
WELL AS LOCALIZED MINOR FLOODING. TAKE PRECAUTIONS THIS WEEK BY
CLEARING SNOW WHERE YOU CAN.
NEAR-TO ABOVE-NORMAL TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO ROUND OUT THE
REST OF THE MONTH, LEADING TO FURTHER MELTING. OVERNIGHT
TEMPERATURES WILL ALSO LEAD TO REFREEZING EACH NIGHT AS
TEMPERATURES DROP BELOW FREEZING.
AVIATION
NARROW BANDS OF PRECIPITATION CONTINUE ACROSS WEST
CENTRAL MONTANA INTO SOUTHWEST MONTANA AND LEMHI COUNTY. THESE
SHOWERS ARE PRODUCING PERIODS OF LIFR AT KHRF, KSMN AND KBTM. THE
SHOWER ACTIVITY WILL STEADILY DECREASE THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON
INTO THE EVENING AS A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE SLIDES INTO THE
REGION. ARCTIC AIR WILL BE SPILLING OVER THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE
TONIGHT CAUSING NORTHERLY TO EASTERLY WINDS AT KGPI AND KMSO. THE
NEXT WEATHER DISTURBANCE WILL BE MOVING INTO THE REGION ON
WEDNESDAY CAUSING LOWERING CEILINGS ALONG WITH WIDESPREAD LIGHT
SNOW.
MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 1 PM WEDNESDAY TO 8 AM MST THURSDAY
FOR BITTERROOT/SAPPHIRE MOUNTAINS...FLATHEAD/MISSION
VALLEYS...KOOTENAI/CABINET REGION...LOWER CLARK FORK
REGION...MISSOULA/BITTERROOT VALLEYS...POTOMAC/SEELEY LAKE
REGION...WEST GLACIER REGION.
ID...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FROM 10 AM WEDNESDAY TO 7 AM PST
THURSDAY FOR NORTHERN CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS...SOUTHERN
CLEARWATER MOUNTAINS.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page