Winter advisory-weather is returning to area

After a short respite in bitter weather, Old Man Winter is expected to return with a vengeance over the weekend.

National Weather Service has a winter advisory in effect for much of Montana from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning, running from the northwest corner of the state through Blaine and Fergus counties and to the southeast down to Carter County.

This comes after most of the state saw temperatures Wednesday rise into the single digits and teens with some reporting stations seeing highs in the 20s and West Yellowstone hitting 34.  

The month has been near-record setting for cold, but the past week has seen temperatures rising above zero, though the lows still have dropped below zero each day.

The forecast high for Havre and Chester today was 20 degrees, with Harlem expected to hit 18, as was Big Sandy.

The temperature this morning was 10 degrees above at 6 a.m. and had reached 16 degrees by 11 a.m.

But a blast of arctic air is expected to hit Friday morning, bringing more snow and gusty north winds to north-central Montana, dropping temperatures into the 30s below zero with wind chills in the minus 40s to minus 50s and highs in the single digits to below zero in the region.

The storm is expected to drop 1 to 3 inches of snow, with 2 to 6 inches expected in higher elevations.

The arctic air is expected to reach southwest Montana by Friday afternoon.

The temperature is expected to moderate — comparatively — by the start of next week, with highs getting into the single digits and teens, and lows below zero from single digits to teens.

Watch for more about February’s weather in Friday’s edition of the Havre Daily News.