Whitefish Mountain Resort Snow Report

062 FXUS65 KMSO 010649 AFDMSO Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Missoula MT 1249 AM MDT Thu Oct 1 2026 .DISCUSSION... KEY MESSAGES: - Patchy valley fog this morning, especially Northwest Montana. - Warming and drying trend Friday through Sunday. - Increasing westerly winds on Monday and potential isolated afternoon storms as a weak disturbance flattens the ridge. - Strong high pressure re-establishes late next week, maintaining a prolonged warm and dry pattern. Today through Friday Night: Patchy morning valley fog will dissipate by mid- to late morning. Otherwise, zonal flow aloft will bring periodic mid- and high-level cloud cover through Friday, along with a few light sprinkles across northwest Montana today. Winds will remain light and diurnally driven through Friday morning; however, a weak disturbance tracking along the Canadian border Friday afternoon will increase westerly gusts up to 25 mph. High temperatures today will be near seasonal averages, warming to around 10 degrees above normal by Friday. Saturday through Next Week: An upper-level high-pressure ridge will build overhead this weekend, maintaining widespread sunshine and persistent warm daytime temperatures. Strong radiational cooling under clear skies will allow valley overnight lows to drop below blended model guidance, promoting localized frost in higher valleys and typical cold spots. Monday into Tuesday, long-range guidance depicts a weak shortwave trough sliding east along the Canadian border, temporarily flattening the ridge. This system will trigger an uptick in westerly winds across the Northern Rockies. Modest afternoon destabilization may also support isolated, non-severe thunderstorms on Monday afternoon. Once this disturbance departs, the strong upper-level ridge will rebuild across the region through mid-to-late week, bringing a return to warm and dry conditions. Ensemble cluster guidance have trended toward a potential disturbance around October 9th-10th (~50% cluster support), which could introduce a brief period of cooler temperatures, increased winds, and a chance of showers. && .AVIATION...Localized morning valley fog may briefly reduce visibilities today, but widespread VFR conditions will prevail through Friday as zonal flow persists. Mid- and high-level clouds will remain common today, particularly along and north of the I-90 corridor, accompanied by light mountain sprinkles across northwest Montana. Winds will remain light and terrain-driven through Friday morning before increasing Friday afternoon, bringing westerly gusts up to 20 knots. && .MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MT...None. ID...None. && $$