BILLINGS — The strong ridge of high pressure will slowly shift eastward over the next few days, allowing a modest cooling trend from west to east by the middle of the week, but the hotter temperatures will hold firm in eastern MT north-central WY through Wednesday where highs will consistently push into the low 100s while overnight lows stay very warm. Because of this, the Extreme Heat Warning remains in place continues through Tuesday night for southeast Montana, including Billings, and through Wednesday afternoon for the far southeastern corner of the state.
On the flip side, the very dry air will subside as a surge of monsoonal moisture (a shift in the wind that will act as a giant conveyor belt pushing moisture into the region) will bring a chance for daily showers and thunderstorms Tuesday through the rest of the week. It's expected that the atmosphere will become quite saturated, possibly spiking to over double what we normally see this time of year through the middle of the week. Prepare for muggy conditions, with dewpoints climbing into the upper 50s to low 60s. This setup will help prime the engine for scattered thunderstorms for the rest of the week as weak disturbances ripple through the monsoonal flow. Because these storms will be highly efficient rainmakers, localized flash flooding is a real concern. Parts of central Montana will be under an excessive rainfall threat Tuesday through Saturday. A Flood Watch will be effect Tuesday afternoon into the evening.
Daytime highs will cool slightly starting Wednesday, but still hover around the mid-90s through the weekend, with overnight lows ranging from the upper 50s to upper 60s.
Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
