


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Great Falls, MT
Issued by NWS Great Falls, MT
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172 FXUS65 KTFX 151422 AFDTFX Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Great Falls MT 822 AM MDT Tue Jul 15 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Precipitation continues across the region today, with the coolest temperatures across North-central Montana. - Temperatures trend closer to normal toward the weekend, with a few showers and thunderstorms Thursday near the Hi-Line. - At least a low-end risk for showers and thunderstorms each afternoon and early evening Friday through Sunday. && .UPDATE... Morning Update has been published, with the primary adjustment being to decrease temperatures several degrees across Southwest Montana where the cold front has already pushed through this morning and low stratus has filtered through valleys. Otherwise PoPs were adjusted to reflect latest Hi-Res and radar trends. Changed precipitation, mainly north of the Montana Hwy 200 corridor, over to predominately stratiform in nature through the day today; with a mixture of stratiform and showery precipitation south of this line. Remainder of the forecast remains on track, with a cool and wet mid-July day for those areas north of the I-90 corridor. - Moldan && .DISCUSSION... /Issued 521 AM MDT Tue Jul 15 2025/ - Meteorological Overview: Sharp upper level troughing within a northwesterly flow aloft will continue its approach this morning before passing overhead today and exiting eastward tonight. At the surface the cold front has already moved into Southwest Montana, with gusty northerly winds behind the front ushering in well below average temperatures. Elevated instability has resulted in showers and thunderstorms in addition to the lower level stratiform type of precipitation across northern areas so far this morning. A mix of stratiform and showery precipitation is forecast to continue today across northern areas as forcing for ascent continues. The coldest air aloft moves in this morning, with 700mb temps dropping to -2 to -4C on the east side of Glacier NP. Hence, snow levels look to briefly fall to the 7,000- 8,000ft range this morning. Accumulating snow looks to be reserved for peaks, however. Further southwest the concern for today will be for a marginal risk of severe thunderstorms near the Idaho border. Forecast soundings show sufficient shear for a few loosely organized clusters capable of large hail and gusty winds this afternoon and early evening south of Ennis between Monida Pass and West Yellowstone. As this system moves away late tonight into Wednesday morning, some patchy fog will be possible, especially in areas where skies are quick to clear. Temperatures during the day Wednesday begin to trend a touch warmer, but still look to be well below average. A zonal to slightly northwesterly flow aloft continues heading into Thursday, with a weak wave passing across northern areas in the afternoon. This should result in a few showers and thunderstorms near the Hi-Line. Thereafter guidance struggles with the specifics of the pattern Several waves within a zonal to slightly northwesterly flow aloft look to pass across the Northern Rockies Friday into early next week, but the timing of any individual wave is uncertain still. Temperatures look to trend closer to normal for this weekend, but there is growing confidence in another cooler spell for the middle of next week. -AM - Forecast Confidence & Scenarios: Today: High resolution guidance has been less bullish with lowering snow levels across eastern Glacier NP compared to coarser counterparts in BUFKIT soundings. Given the forecast cooler temperatures aloft in most guidance, I leaned toward the lower snow level solution for today, which resulted in at least a few inches on the highest peaks of eastern Glacier NP. The other point of uncertainty for today will be how much we warm on the plains (If there is any warming at all). Northerly winds continue today and with precipitation continuing through most of the day, there is a realistic solution where there is nearly zero warming through the day. Late week into the middle of next week: Deterministic guidance does agree that there will be a zonal to slightly northwesterly flow aloft across the Northern Rockies Friday into the weekend. Although there is agreement in the general pattern setup, there is not a lot of agreement on the timing of any embedded waves traversing this flow. Each wave will be capable of producing scattered showers and thunderstorms. The when and where for each wave remains uncertain. Heading toward early next week, cluster guidance reveals better agreement on the evolution of the pattern, with around 90% of ensemble members favoring a period of troughing. This would result in another cooler period, with increased chances for rain. -AM && .AVIATION... 15/12Z TAF Period Mountain obscuring low clouds and rain will be common through the day today across the region. Showers and a few thunderstorms will be around, especially in areas that remain clear today or at least briefly clear this afternoon. Breezy northerly to northeasterly winds continue for most areas through the day. -AM Refer to weather.gov/zlc for more detailed regional aviation weather and hazard information. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... GTF 53 46 70 48 / 100 70 10 0 CTB 52 40 67 46 / 100 20 10 0 HLN 58 47 75 49 / 90 70 10 0 BZN 67 47 75 45 / 80 80 20 0 WYS 76 40 75 37 / 100 70 10 0 DLN 69 46 76 45 / 60 40 10 0 HVR 60 46 70 48 / 90 50 10 0 LWT 53 43 63 43 / 100 100 40 0 && .TFX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... None. && $$ http://www.weather.gov/greatfalls