Dangerously cold wind chills forecast
It’s been cold but it’s going to get much, much colder.
Sinking temperatures and rising wind speeds are expected to combine for dangerous conditions in and around the Flathead Valley today and Saturday.
The National Weather Service issued this dire advice:
“If you are going to be outside Friday or Saturday, be prepared for dangerous wind chills of at least minus 20 to minus 30 degrees. The coldest wind chills will be in Missoula (especially downtown), Kalispell, Butte and all locations along the divide.”
Wind chill values of 20 to 38 degrees below zero are predicted for the Flathead Valley.
Overnight lows of minus 13 today and minus 17 Saturday will be worsened today by winds of 24 to 26 mph (gusting as high as 40) and 16 to 21 mph (gusting to 32) on Saturday.
The high today is expected to be 5 degrees; the high Saturday should be 2 degrees.
Sunday should bring a break from the wind but not the cold. The forecast high for Sunday is 5 degrees with the low predicted to reach minus 7.
Even chillier prospects are ahead for the Glacier National Park area, where wind chill values could approach 50 below zero, according to the Weather Service.
“Extremely cold wind chill will lead to a danger of frostbite on unprotected skin in as little as 10 minutes,” the Weather Service said in a wind-chill warning.
The arctic chill comes just in time for opening day Saturday at Whitefish Mountain Resort.
The temperature at the summit of Big Mountain is forecast to dip to minus 16 Saturday morning, warming to minus 3 during the day Saturday.
“With the cold temperatures, watch for signs of frostbite and take breaks to warm up inside,” Tary King, patrol director at Whitefish Mountain Resort, said in a news release Thursday.
In addition to warnings about bone-chilling cold, the Weather Service issued a lake-effect snow advisory through this morning for the east shore of Flathead Lake.
Wind-driven snow could impact Montana 35 from mile markers 18 to 22 near Woods Bay as well as from Yellow Bay to Polson.
“Visibility will be reduced to one-half mile at times with isolated accumulations up to 6 to 10 inches,” the Weather Service said.
Online:
www.wrh.noaa.gov/mso