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National Weather Service

Helena Zone Forecast

.WEDNESDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY. A CHANCE OF SNOW SHOWERS IN THE

MORNING...THEN A CHANCE OF RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS IN THE

AFTERNOON. HIGHS 30 TO 40. WEST WINDS 5 TO 10 MPH. CHANCE OF

PRECIPITATION 50 PERCENT.

.WEDNESDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF

SNOW. LOWS 15 TO 25.

.THURSDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 35 TO 45.

.THURSDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 20 TO 25.

.FRIDAY...PARTLY CLOUDY. HIGHS 45 TO 55.

.FRIDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY. LOWS 25 TO 30.

.SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT

CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS 40 TO 50. LOWS 20 TO 30.

.SUNDAY...MOSTLY CLOUDY WITH A 20 PERCENT CHANCE OF SNOW. HIGHS

35 TO 40.

HELENA CLIMATE SUMMARY

CLIMATE NORMAL PERIOD 1971 TO 2000

CLIMATE RECORD PERIOD 1866 TO 2009

YESTERDAY

TEMPERATURE (F)

MAXIMUM 39 1224 AM 68 1972 44 -5 19

MINIMUM 27 1159 PM -19 1932 22 5 0

AVERAGE 33 33 0 10

PRECIPITATION (IN)

YESTERDAY 0.01 0.50 1935 0.02 -0.01 T

MONTH TO DATE 0.01 0.18 -0.17 0.12

SINCE OCT 1 1.98 2.68 -0.70 2.75

SINCE JAN 1 0.65 1.08 -0.43 0.74

SNOWFALL (IN)

YESTERDAY T

MONTH TO DATE 0.0

SINCE MAR 1 0.0

SINCE JUL 1 26.0

SNOW DEPTH T

DEGREE DAYS

HEATING

YESTERDAY 32 32 0 55

MONTH TO DATE 238 300 -62 332

SINCE MAR 1 238 300 -62 332

SINCE JUL 1 6094 6168 -74 5397

COOLING

YESTERDAY 0 0 0 0

MONTH TO DATE 0 0 0 0

SINCE MAR 1 0 0 0 0

SINCE JAN 1 0 0 0 0

WIND (MPH)

HIGHEST WIND SPEED 15 HIGHEST WIND DIRECTION NW (310)

HIGHEST GUST SPEED 17 HIGHEST GUST DIRECTION NW (300)

AVERAGE WIND SPEED 8.3

SKY COVER

POSSIBLE SUNSHINE MM

AVERAGE SKY COVER 1.0

WEATHER CONDITIONS

THE FOLLOWING WEATHER WAS RECORDED YESTERDAY.

LIGHT SNOW

FOG

HAZE

RELATIVE HUMIDITY (PERCENT)

HIGHEST 85 900 PM

LOWEST 56 100 PM

AVERAGE 71

THE HELENA MT CLIMATE NORMALS FOR TODAY

NORMAL RECORD YEAR

MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE (F) 45 70 1983

MINIMUM TEMPERATURE (F) 22 -24 1951

SUNRISE AND SUNSET

MARCH 10 2010.........SUNRISE 650 AM MST SUNSET 627 PM MST

MARCH 11 2010.........SUNRISE 648 AM MST SUNSET 628 PM MST

- INDICATES NEGATIVE NUMBERS.

R INDICATES RECORD WAS SET OR TIED.

MM INDICATES DATA IS MISSING.

T INDICATES TRACE AMOUNT.

Forecast Discussion

and Aviation Report

from the National Weather Service

WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS STILL IN

EFFECT FOR SOUTHWEST MONTANA THROUGH NOON TODAY. SNOW WILL

CONTINUE TO FALL OFF AND ON THROUGHOUT THE MORNING HOURS ACROSS

SOUTHWEST MONTANA. THIS SYSTEM WILL EXIT THE AREA BY THURSDAY

MORNING. A RIDGE OF HIGH PRESSURE WILL BEGIN TO BUILD IN BEHIND

THE EXISTING SYSTEM. THIS WILL ALLOW FOR SUNNIER SKIES AND A QUICK

REBOUND TO SPRING LIKE TEMPERATURES THROUGH FRIDAY FOR MUCH OF

THE AREA. THIS WARMING WILL BE HELPED ALONG THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN

FRONT AND THE ASSOCIATED HIGH PLAINS BY A WEAK DOWNSLOPING WIND

THAT WILL REACH OUT INTO NORTH CENTRAL AND CENTRAL MONTANA. SUK

FRIDAY NIGHT THROUGH MONDAY NIGHT...HIGH PRESSURE RIDGE THAT WAS

OVER CENTRAL MT ON FRIDAY MOVES INTO EASTERN MONTANA OVERNIGHT

FRIDAY WHILE PACIFIC SHORTWAVE TROF MAKES STEADY EASTWARD PROGRESS

THRU ERN WA/OR AND NRN IDAHO. LEADING EDGE OF CLOUDS AND

PRECIPITATION ASSOCIATED WITH THE TROF REACH THE ROCKY MTN FRONT AND

SOUTHWEST MTNS AROUND MIDDAY ON SAT...BRINGING LIGHT VALLEY RAIN/MTN

SNOW. AFTER SEEING MARKED DIFFERENCES IN GFS AND ECMWF MODELS

HANDLING OF THIS WEATHER SYSTEM PAST FEW DAYS...00Z MODEL RUNS

FINALLY SHOWED GOOD AGREEMENT WITH THE GFS TRENDING TOWARD THE

EUROPEAN MODEL SOLUTION TO DRIVE THE TROF SOUTHWARD INTO UTAH BY

MIDNIGHT ON SAT. THIS WILL KEEP THE BULK OF THE PRECIPITATION

ACROSS SOUTHWEST AND SOUTH CENTRAL PARTS OF THE STATE...ALTHOUGH

CENTRAL PLAINS LOCATIONS MAY SEE SOME SPOTTY RAIN/SNOW MIX ON SAT

AFTN/EVE. THE SYSTEM EXITS THE GREAT FALLS CWA BY SUN MORNING...AS

FAIRLY STRONG PACIFIC RIDGE BUILDS BACK INTO THE REGION BY SUN EVE.

RIDGE WILL COVER MOST OF THE GREAT BASIN AND NRN ROCKIES ON

MONDAY...BRINGING MOSTLY CLEAR SKIES ACROSS THE CWA. AREA WILL SEE

A SHORT-LIVED COOLING TREND IN TEMPERATURES ON SAT/SUN AS SHARP

SURFACE COLD FRONT SWEEPS ACROSS THE REGION ON SAT. LOOK FOR TEMPS

TO WARM BACK TO 8 TO 10 DEG ABOVE NORMAL ON MONDAY. WARANAUSKAS

TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY...A RIDGE IS IN PLACE ON TUESDAY AND LOOKS TO

SLOWLY DRIFT EAST THROUGH WEDNESDAY AS A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM BEGINS

TO INFLUENCE THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. TEMPERATURES SHOULD BE

RELATIVELY WARM AND WINDS SHOULD BE FAIRLY LIGHT.

&&

.AVIATION...

UPDATED 1135Z. WIDESPREAD MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH ONE WEATHER

SYSTEM IN EASTERN MT AND ANOTHER CURRENTLY WEST OF THE DIVIDE IS

CREATING MIX OF VFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ACROSS CENTRAL AND SOUTHWEST

MT THIS MORNING. LOW- AND MID-LEVEL CLOUD CEILINGS...ALONG WITH

INTERMITTENT LOW VISIBILITIES IN FOG...WILL CONTINUE UNTIL AROUND

16Z. AREAS OF LIGHT HAVE BEEN DECREASING IN COVERAGE LAST FEW HOURS

AND SHOULD CONTINUE THAT TREND THROUGH LATE MORNING...THOUGH

LINGERING LONGER NEAR KBZN AND KDLN. EXPECT STEADY IMPROVEMENT BACK

TO WIDESPREAD VFR CONDITIONS FROM NORTH TO SOUTH BY LATE AFTN.

WARANAUSKAS