Ever stood on Higgins Avenue in January, watching a wall of gray fog swallow the Clark Fork River while your weather app insists it's "mostly sunny"?
Honestly, Missoula weather is a bit of a local prank. If you’ve lived here long enough, you know that the weather missoula mt hourly forecast is less of a strict schedule and more of a gentle suggestion. Nestled in a bowl where five valleys meet, this town creates its own rules.
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Today, Saturday, January 17, 2026, is a perfect example of the Missoula "micro-mystery."
As of 5:51 PM, the temperature is sitting at a crisp 32°F. The sky is clear, and the wind is basically nonexistent—just a 1 mph whisper from the east. But don't let that "clear" rating fool you into thinking tonight will be a standard winter evening. Humidity is hovering at 65%, which, in our valley, is the perfect recipe for those famous overnight inversions.
Why the Hourly Forecast Feels Like a Guess
The Bitterroot Range to our west does a lot of heavy lifting. It strips moisture out of the air before it ever hits the Garden City, leaving us with a semiarid climate that surprises newcomers.
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While the daily high reached 38°F earlier this afternoon under sunny skies, the weather missoula mt hourly data shows a rapid slide as the sun dips behind the mountains. By 8:00 PM, we’re looking at 25°F with hazy conditions. That haze isn't just "clouds"—it's often that valley air getting trapped.
The Overnight Slide
If you're heading out to the Wilma or grabbing a late dinner downtown, keep an eye on these specifics:
- 9:00 PM: Temperatures drop to 24°F. The east wind remains still.
- Midnight: We hit the 22°F mark.
- The Low: Expect a bottom-out temperature of 20°F before dawn tomorrow.
Humidity is expected to climb toward 69% overnight. This is why you'll likely wake up to a world encased in "hoar frost" or patchy freezing fog tomorrow morning, even if the forecast says "sunny."
Understanding the "Missoula Inversion"
Most people get frustrated when the hourly forecast misses the mark, but it’s usually due to the inversion layer.
Cold air is denser than warm air. It sinks into the Missoula bowl and gets stuck. In the winter, the Continental Divide acts like a giant shield, protecting us from the brutal arctic blasts that hammer Great Falls or Billings. But that shield works both ways; it keeps the cold air trapped right on top of us.
This means while it might be 20 degrees and foggy at the base of Mount Sentinel, it could be 40 degrees and crystal clear at the top of the "M" trail. Locals call this "getting above the gunk."
Actionable Tips for Your Day
Don't just look at the temperature number; look at the dew point and wind direction.
A wind coming from the east, specifically through Hellgate Canyon, can feel much sharper than the speed suggests. Tonight's 2 mph east wind is negligible, but it's enough to keep that cool air circulating.
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- Layer for the 20-degree swing: Since we hit 38°F today and will hit 20°F tonight, your evening jacket needs to be significantly beefier than your afternoon one.
- Watch for Black Ice: With humidity at 69% and temperatures dropping below freezing, bridge decks over the Clark Fork will get slick around 10:00 PM.
- Plan for Morning Fog: Sunday morning will likely start with limited visibility. If you have an early drive, give yourself an extra 10 minutes to scrape the windshield.
Missoula's weather isn't trying to lie to you. It's just complicated. By watching the hourly shifts in humidity and wind, you can actually predict when the valley fog will roll in better than most automated apps.
Check your tires, grab a warm drink, and enjoy the clear night while it lasts. The high-pressure system currently over us means no snow is expected for the next 24 hours, so at least the shovels can stay in the garage.