Warmer weather predicted for Hi-Line in this area

After several weeks of frigid weather for March on the Hi-Line, weather prognosticators are saying closer to normal temperatures may be en route.

Snow was in the forecast this morning with light snow falling in Havre, although farther south including Cascade County, and along the Rocky Mountain Front to the west by Conrad and Choteau Weather Service had issued a winter weather advisory with up to 6 inches of new snow predicted along the Front and up to 4 inches predicted in Cascade County and up to 5 inches farther east.

Highs around 30 for today were predicted from Chester to Harlem, with, at about 10 this morning, highs Friday predicted at 41 for Chester, 40 for Havre, 39 in Chinook and 37 in Harlem.

That follows several weeks of cold weather, and some new snow, that kept the snow solidly on the ground along Highway 2 in this region.

But that follows a very cold March along the Hi-Line.

In Havre, the high recorded by National Weather Service Wednesday at the Havre City-County Airport was 23 degrees with the low a bitter 1 degree.

The normal high for Havre March 29 is 50 and the low is 26.

March has been extremely cold on the Hi-Line, and snowy.

Havre had recorded 10.7 inches of new snow at the airport by Wednesday, with the normal amount for March 29 4.9 inches.

And it has been cold most of the month, with only March 15 and March 24 showing temperatures higher than freezing in Havre, a comparatively balmy 42 March 14 and 38 March 24.

The normal high March 14 is 43 degrees and 48 March 24.

And the low on March 14 dropped back down to 11 degrees - the normal value is 19 - and to 1 degree March 24, 23 degrees colder than the normal 24 degrees.

That kind of weather has been common in this part of the Hi-Line most of March. The first week had temperatures about normal to about 10 degrees colder, with the normal highs about 38 degrees and the lows normally about 13 degrees.

Then the second week of March saw it cool off a bit, with Havre seeing highs in the teens to low 20s and lows in the single digits to low teens.

After the warm spot March 14, and March 15 seeing a high of 30 in Havre and a low of 22, the temperature dropped again.

March 17-19, Havre's lows were below zero, with the low hitting minus 9 degrees March 18.

The normal low of Havre March 18 is 21 degrees.

Aside from the warmer spot March 24, Havre has been in the teens or 20s for highs and lows have been in the single digits for most of the following weeks, with a few teens for lows late last week and early this week.

But highs are expected to finally warm up on the Hi-Line for the weekend, staying in the 40s and upper 30s through Sunday before cooling off a bit again Monday, into the low 30s. Lows are expected to be in the upper 20s and in the teens.

It is expected to continue to stay even warmer farther south, with the high for Big Sandy Saturday expected to hit 48 degrees and near that in the Bear Paw Mountains and near Hays.