BILLINGS — Mostly sunny and dry conditions will dominate Friday, with high temperatures reaching the low to mid-80s. It will be breezy, with southerly winds between 10 to 20 mph, but gusts up to 30 mph or stronger will be possible across the western foothills and the eastern half of the region. A mostly dry cold front will shift winds to the north-northwest by Saturday sunrise, dropping overnight lows into the mid-40s to mid-50s, with the coolest temperatures in the west.
Conditions will remain dry and cooler on Saturday under the influence of high pressure, keeping surface winds light. Expect afternoon highs to be at or near seasonal averages, around 70°.
On Sunday, cloud cover will increase as an unsettled pattern begins to take shape, holding daytime highs in the 60s. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are expected in the southwest mountains during the afternoon, with snow levels falling to around 11,000 feet.
Precipitation chances ramp up to 30–60% Sunday night into Monday morning as a Pacific cold front moves through. Despite widespread chances for rain, total rainfall amounts will stay under a quarter of an inch due to the storm system splitting. Showers and cloud cover will keep Monday afternoon highs in the lower 60s. Snow levels will drop to 10,000 feet Monday morning and 8,000 feet Monday night, accumulating several inches of mountain snow that may impact travel on the Beartooth Highway.
A general westerly flow aloft will settle back over the region, returning the pattern to mostly dry conditions and seasonal temperatures Tuesday through Thursday.
Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
