BILLINGS — Wind will be the big weather story Wednesday night through Thursday, with a chilly weekend for eastern Montana. That could even mean some light snow.
Starting tonight, the western mountain areas will get hammered with gusts up to 60 mph. This is especially true in the Livingston-Nye areas close to I-90 and along US 191 from Big Timber to Harlowton and could produce travel concerns for high profile and towing vehicle.
Everyone else gets gusty winds through Thursday too, but not as extreme. All across the eastern plains, gusts of 30-40 mph are possible. Light mountain snow will accumulate on the west-facing mountain slopes adding up to 1-4 inches.
Highs on Thursday will be mainly in the mid-to-lower 60s, except 50s in the higher elevations. For Friday, there is less wind but cooling to mainly 50s with a mix of clouds and sun.
Friday night into Saturday, another cold front moves through. This will create light snow for areas east of Hardin. Maybe just a dusting to an inch, but enough to make Saturday morning roads slick.
Eastern Montana is chilly Saturday, with highs mainly in the 30s and possibly upper 20s in some spots. Areas to the west, including Billings, stay milder with most high in the mid-40s to mid-50s.
By Sunday, things quiet down but stay cool, especially in eastern Montana. For next week, warmer and windier conditions return, with more strong winds likely in the western foothills starting Monday.
