BILLINGS — Expect windy conditions across southeast Montana today as a weak cold front approaches. Driven by a tight pressure gradient and low-level jet, southeast winds could gust between 30 and 45 mph throughout the day.
High pressure over the Central Plains will move westward, bringing warmer-than-average temperatures through the middle of the week, mostly in the 60s and 70s, with Thursday aiming to be the warmest, despite a slight cool-down following a dry cold front sweeping through by Tuesday evening.
As a low-pressure system hits the West Coast mid-week, it will push mild winds into southwest Montana, bringing a low chance of rain or snow in the Beartooth Mountains between Tuesday and Thursday.
Looking ahead to the end of the week, that West Coast low is expected to move onshore Thursday and head northeast toward our area by Friday and Saturday. While there's still some disagreement among the models, the most likely scenario brings a cold front and scattered precipitation as a southern low merges with a northern trough. The exact timing and placement of this merger remain uncertain, which will ultimately dictate how much wind and moisture we end up seeing.
Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
