HIGH PLAINS - With temperatures pushing 80-90°F across Big Sky Country, sufficient instability will be available for strong to severe thunderstorms to develop and strengthen. These storms could organize underneath strong upper-level winds. The upper-level dynamics are ahead of a significant trough that will ultimately impact the rest of the country in the days ahead.
The severe weather outlook for the rest of the day is a MARGINAL (level 1 out of 5) for portions of Montana and North Dakota.
By the middle of this week, expect a significant cooldown along with widespread precipitation accumulation across the western half of the country. In fact, many of our mountains across the West could see significant snow!
Forecast snow and rain through Sunday (5/18) morning.
We'll continue to update this developing story as more details come into focus here on WeatherNation!