Winter comes back after brief vacation

After several weeks of spring-like weather, Old Man Winter is expected to return to north-central Montana today.

National Weather Service predicted a 90 percent chance of snow today and night, dropping to a 50 percent chance through 11 a.m. Thursday.

This following nearly three weeks where high temperatures for north-central Montana were hitting the 40s and even creeping into the 50s.

The Weather service issued a winter storm advisory for Blaine, Hill, Liberty and Toole counties from noon today through 5 p.m. Thursday with snow accumulation from two inches to four inches and isolated areas with up to five inches.

South of the Hi-Line and through the eastern Rocky Mountains, a winter storm warning is in effect, with five to 10 inches of snow expected in the lowlands and up to 20 inches in the mountains.

Both the advisory and the warning include warnings that visibility due to blowing and drifting snow could be as low as one-quarter mile or less at times.

While the snow is expected to stop falling by Thursday night, temperatures are expected to drop even lower than earlier this week, with a low of minus 1 in the forecast Thursday night and highs in the teens and 20s and lows in the single digits through early next week.