Late-Week Cold Front Expected to Bring Wind, Rain and Mountain Snow

Overview

• Forecasters say a Pacific storm and its cold front arriving Thursday night into Friday will push much cooler air into the region and trigger widespread precipitation.
• Models and local meteorologists predict rain at low elevations and mountain snow as snow levels fall behind the front, with some lower valleys possibly seeing rain‑snow mixes Friday night into Saturday morning.
• Winds are expected to strengthen Friday with sustained speeds of 10–30 mph and peak gusts near 50 mph, with the strongest gusts likely east of I‑15.
• Early-week conditions will remain calm and seasonably warm with highs in the 60s and 70s before the pattern shift, though clouds increase midweek as the storm approaches.
• Forecasters stress limited confidence in exact timing and amounts and say small shifts in the storm track will change which areas, especially southwest Montana and the Gallatin Range, see the heaviest precipitation so residents should monitor local NWS updates.