321
FXUS65 KMSO 131927
AFDMSO

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
127 PM MDT Mon Oct 13 2025

.DISCUSSION...

KEY MESSAGES:

- LIGHT SNOW TUESDAY MORNING: Another round of light snow is
  expected Tuesday morning, primarily from Lemhi County into west-
  central and southwest Montana.

- Seasonable temperatures with light mountain snowfall this week.

Partly cloudy conditions and easterly winds will continue
throughout the day today, with afternoon temperatures running
around 10 degrees below normal.

Overnight, a weak wave of moisture will move from south to north
across Lemhi County and southwest Montana, bringing another round
of light snow. Most of the snowfall will be confined to these
areas. Residents in Salmon, Lost Trail Pass, and areas east to
Butte and Georgetown Lake will likely wake up to a dusting of
light snow, which could bring minor impacts to area roadways for
the Tuesday morning commute. Elsewhere across the Northern
Rockies, the morning will start off chilly, with lows in the low
to mid-20s in western Montana and low to mid-30s across north-
central Idaho. Afternoon temperatures on Tuesday will rebound and
be closer to normal, in the low 50s in western Montana and low 60s
in north- central Idaho.

The pattern remains unsettled into the middle of the week.
Guidance suggests a potential "Yellowstone Low" could develop
from Wednesday into Thursday, bringing another chance for showers
and high-elevation snow to southwest Montana. Currently, the
majority of the precipitation is projected to remain well to the
south and east of western Montana and north-central Idaho;
however, these types of low-pressure systems have historically
shown the potential to shift further west on short notice.
Therefore, this is a feature worth monitoring.

Heading into the weekend, a west-northwesterly flow will bring
near-normal temperatures and breezy conditions to the Northern
Rockies, along with partly cloudy skies.

&&

.AVIATION...Conditions across the area will continue to gradually
improve through this evening as both winds and snow showers
diminish. The higher terrain will continue to be obscured however
due to a lingering mid level cloud deck with localized lowered
visibility in showers. Another round of light snow is forecast to
arrive by Tuesday morning (14/1200z). This will bring a new
period of lowering ceilings and visibility, primarily affecting
Lemhi County in Idaho and spreading into west-central Montana
(KHRF and KBTM) by 14/1500z.


&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...None.
ID...None.
&&

$$