BILLINGS — After a fairly clear beginning to the day on Saturday, much of Montana and Wyoming had a layer of high, thin clouds move overhead this afternoon and this evening. In the wake of Friday's cold front, we were cooler today than yesterday, but still warmer than average. We'll have a mostly clear to clear and quiet night tonight with most lows in the 30s and 40s.
A strong ridge of high pressure will begin to rebuild over the Rockies and much of the western United States on Sunday, and that will mean more sunshine and more warmth for the rest of this first weekend of October. Most highs will be 5-15 degrees warmer than average on Sunday, and despite a few more clouds in the sky, Monday will be warmer for most of us, with broken records possible.
We'll have a battle over western North America much of next week between a ridge to our south and a trough over Canada. We can expect minor cooling as we progress through the week and some breezes at times, but we'll remain warmer than average from Tuesday through Friday. At this time, it appears a drastic pattern change would bring cooling, rain and mountain snow next weekend.
