By Jen Clancey STAFF WRITER
Temperatures in southwest Montana will dip below zero this weekend, as a polar vortex brings bitter cold into the region.
Austin McDowell, a National Weather Service meteorologist based in Great Falls, spoke on the phone with EBS about the weekend’s forecast.
“ We’ve had a pretty mild winter so far, that these temperatures that we’re going to be seeing are on the order of 20, maybe 30 degrees colder than the lows that we’ve seen so far,” McDowell said. “ We’re definitely transitioning to a good cold snap here.”
According to McDowell, on Saturday morning in Big Sky, the chance for subzero temps is roughly 25%. Sunday morning has a promising 80-90% chance for below zero weather, and Monday has a chance around 90% in the beginning of the day. Lows for Friday, Saturday and Sunday night are projected to be -5F, -10F and -21F, respectively.
Bozeman will likely experience slightly warmer temps, with Saturday and Sunday night hitting lows of -7F and -16F, respectively.
Next week will be warmer, with temps in Big Sky and Bozeman climbing to the 20s during the day, but residents will still feel chilly conditions when temps dip in the evenings.
