A winter storm is expected to affect the Tuesday evening commute in Missoula, and bring snow and strong winds across Montana.

Meteorologist Ryan Leach at the National Weather Service Office in Missoula, said the storm will cross the state from east to west, and hit the Missoula area sometime Tuesday.

"This is a big, broad weather system coming down from Canada across the Rockies," Leach said. "It'll be coming all the way from eastern Montana to the west, and even affect areas as far away as Seattle"

Leach said the Missoula area will begin to feel the effects of the storm on Tuesday.

"This system might have a little bit of rain ahead of it, which could mean slick roads on Monday night with some wet snow, then there'll be very strong winds out of the Hellgate Canyon and Evaro Hill."

Leach said this will be the area's first real taste of winter.

"This will be our first real arctic front of the year," he said. "We're not expecting a huge dump of snow, but I think it'll be enough to affect the Tuesday commute home, especially if it rains or snows and the roads get slick, it could make it tough for road crews with the winds blowing the snow around."

The National Weather Service predicts between one and four inches of snow in the Missoula area by Wednesday.

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