A cold Christmas in the forecast

Cold and snow has hit the region, and while warmer temperatures are expected for a few days, cold is expected to hit again by Christmas Eve and stay through Christmas Day, with a chance of a bit more snow.

Cold and snow hit the area more than a week ago, and it stayed chilly and snowy over the weekend except for a short chinook that hit parts of the region Saturday and moved through Sunday.

The high in Havre was 10 degrees Saturday but it warmed up to 43 degrees at 1:09 p.m. Sunday That started falling again fairly quickly, with Havre hitting minus 5 degrees before 6 this morning.

The forecast for this region through the week calls for the temperatures to warm up and the snowfall to drop off, except for maybe a bit midweek, but then to again turn bitterly cold for the holiday.

The regional forecast for today calls for a chance of snow in the afternoon and into the evening for some locations, with highs forecast in the mid-teens on the plains and into the 20s for Rocky Boy and the Hays-Lodge Pole areas of the Bear Paw Mountains.

Lows are expected to be slightly below zero on the plains tonight, with the mercury hitting single digits above zero in the Bear Paws.

Highs are expected to go into the 20s and 30s, with forecast highs for Tuesday at 30 for Havre, 31 at Chester and Big Sandy, 21 in Harlem, and 33 at Rocky Boy and Hays.

The lows are expected to be in the teens and 20s Tuesday night.

Wednesday is expected to be slightly warmer as well as having a chance of snow in some areas during the day. The high for Havre is expected to hit 39, 37 in Chester, 39 in Big Sandy, 36 in Harlem and Rocky Boy and 33 in Hays.

The temperatures are expected to stay mild Thursday during the day before cooling off again overnight.

Havre’s high Thursday is expected to hit 35, while Chester’s forecast high is 32, Big Sandy’s 34, with 32 in Harlem, 35 in Rocky Boy and 37 in Hays.

Then temps will again drop. The low predicted for Havre Thursday is minus 1, minus 4 in Chester, zero in Big Sandy, minus 2 in Harlem, 2 at Rocky Boy and minus 6 in Hays.

It is expected to stay cold Friday, Christmas Eve day, with a high of 11 and a low of minus 9 in Havre, 8 and minus 11 in Chester, Big Sandy is expected to hit 12 and minus 6, 11 and minus 11 in Harlem, 13 and minus 5 at Rocky Boy and 7 and minus 10 in Hays. A slight chance of snow is expected Friday night and into Christmas.

The cold weather is expected to continue Christmas Day and into Sunday, with highs below zero by a few degrees expected Sunday. Christmas Day, Havre is expected to hit 4 degrees, Chester zero, Big Sandy 4 degrees, Harlem’s high is expected to hit minus 2, Rocky Boy 4 degrees and Hays 7.

And everyone is expected to have a bitter Christmas night for lows. Havre is expected to hit -13, Chester -16, Big Sandy -6, Harlem -16, with the low expected to be minus 10 at both Rocky Boy and Hays.