BILLINGS — THROUGH WEDNESDAY: Strong west and northwesterly winds continue across much of our region. An anomalously strong jet stream for this time of year is cranking up the wind machine. Areas west of the Billings to Red Lodge line face a good chance of experiencing wind gusts over 45 mph, while western communities like Big Timber, Livingston and Harlowton should brace for even stronger conditions with gusts around 50 to 60 mph. The higher elevations of the Crazy Mountains could see the most aggressive winds, with gusts potentially exceeding 60 mph.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will develop over north-central and northeast Montana into tonight. The atmospheric setup favors some strong to potentially severe storms capable of producing damaging winds and large hail. These storms may creep into areas from Miles City and Baker northward late this evening, bringing the potential for severe thunderstorm wind gusts that could compound the already challenging wind conditions.
Wednesday sees the wind concerns shift eastward into eastern Montana and north-central Wyoming as the front continues its march across the region. Lows will be mainly in the 50s and highs in the 70s Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: While there's a very low chance for isolated showers and thunderstorms, most areas can expect a break from the active weather. This represents the calm before the potential storm as we head into the weekend. Temperatures will start to warm again, reaching the mid-70s to low 80s by Friday afternoon.
WEEKEND: A more active and potentially impactful weather pattern begins to develop as troughing moves across the Pacific Northwest and progresses eastward into the Northern Rockies. Saturday into Sunday shows increasing signs of thunderstorm development. This setup warrants close monitoring as it could bring another round of significant weather impacts to end the week.
