BILLINGS — Much of the region will be waking up to scattered showers Thursday morning ahead of a robust system that will bring a good chance of storms during the afternoon.
A trough out of the west will begin to impact the region by Thursday afternoon. With an increase in available moisture and an environment that will become more unstable, the chances will be good for scattered showers and the development of thunderstorms through the evening. This setup will be favorable for strong to severe storms, mainly east of Billings. The strongest storms are anticipated to affect southeastern MT and northeastern WY, with golf ball-sized hail (or larger), strong wind gusts over 60 mph, and locally heavy rainfall being the main threats. An isolated tornado cannot be ruled out, either, especially from Broadus east across southern Carter County. Stay weather aware! Daytime highs will be mainly in the mid to upper 70s.
Friday should be a quieter day as high-pressure ridging builds into the area and downslope winds bring drier conditions. Southwest flow will increase through the day, so gusty winds can be expected across the western mountains and foothills during the afternoon hours. This will also help warm daytime temperatures into the mid to upper 80s.
Saturday should start off quiet with downslope winds continuing to warm temperatures up, pushing daytime highs into the upper 80s to low 90s. Late-day showers and thunderstorms will be possible into the overnight for much of the region and possibly into Sunday morning across southeast MT. There could be enough instability for some of these storms to turn severe late Saturday afternoon. There is still uncertainty as to where these severe storms could pop up, so continue to monitor the latest forecasts if you have outdoor plans for Saturday afternoon and evening.
Conditions will stay unsettled from Sunday through Tuesday, so daily chances for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms will be possible.
Daytime highs will be in the mid-60s west to mid-70s west on Sunday, upper 70s to low 80s on Monday, mainly mid-80s on Tuesday, then cool to the upper 70s to low 80s on Wednesday.
Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
