Winter storm watch in effect through Saturday

Weather forecasters are predicting heavy snow, high winds and much colder temperatures from today through Saturday across northwest Montana.

After a month of virtually no measurable snow in the valleys, the National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the Kootenai/Cabinet region, Flathead and Mission valleys, Missoula and Bitterroot Valleys and the Butte and the Blackfoot regions.

The agency said conditions such as flash freeze, heavy snow and blowing snow are possible. Total snow accumulations of five to 10 inches are possible with winds gusting as high as 35 mph. At higher elevations, between 1 and 2 feet are forecasted.

Forecasters predict difficult travel, patchy blowing snow that could significantly reduce visibility and cold wind chills as low as 15 below zero could result in hypothermia if precautions are not taken.

An arctic frontal boundary was expected to press southward from south central Canada Thursday night and into Northern Plains to Upper Mississippi Valley region on Friday.

This arctic front will then continue to surge southward into the Central Plains on Saturday.

Sharply colder temperatures expected in the wake of this front across the Northern to Central Plains and Upper Mississippi Valley region by this weekend with high temperatures 10 to 20 degrees below average.

This translates into high temperatures near zero Saturday from northeastern Montana, across North Dakota, northeast South Dakota and northwest Minnesota.

These cold temperatures combined with windy conditions will result in dangerous wind chills readings this weekend across these areas.

Monitor the latest forecasts for updates on this situation.