Snow with rain in the weekend forecast

The National Weather Service in Missoula is forecasting a wet weather pattern for Friday through Monday with snow on mountain passes and a mix in the valleys.

The  weather disturbance will reach central Idaho by late Thursday into Friday and western Montana by early Friday morning, with snow at all area passes, NWS forecasts. Gusty winds are expected Friday morning in the higher terrain of western Montana.

“There is still an outside chance of pockets of freezing rain in western Montana valleys Friday morning, but we have low certainty in this impact,” the NWS press release states. “Another wet disturbance is expected to move through Sunday and Monday.”

A strong westerly flow will bring the heaviest precipitation to the mountains west of the Idaho-Montana border. Meanwhile, warmer air could allow a wintry mix of rain and snow in western Montana and perhaps even freezing drizzle in the Bitterroot and Missoula valleys.