BILLINGS — TONIGHT THROUGH WEDNESDAY MORNING: Rain and a wintry mix working through the region. For the lower elevations, this means rain, possibly mixed with snow at time. But in the higher hills like the Bull Mountains or the Lame Deer Divide, and there's a shot at picking up an inch or more of snow.
Wednesday morning, areas near Miles City and stretching from northern Rosebud County into Carter County have a 10-30% chance of seeing freezing rain. As rain falls, it hits a cold road surface, and turns to ice on contact and roads could get slick fast.
WEDNESDAY THROUGH FRIDAY: Strong and potentially dangerous winds will hammer the western foothills, and the threat builds day by day. Wednesday brings wind gusts potentially exceeding 60 mph west of Billings. By Thursday, the wind cranks up further.
Big Timber and Harlowton are looking at a 70-80% chance of gusts over 60 mph, and a 30-50% chance of gusts topping 70 mph. Livingston and Nye are particularly vulnerable, with a 45% chance of gusts exceeding 75 mph through Friday morning.
Meanwhile, heavy snow continues to pile up in the Beartooth-Absaroka Mountains through Wednesday. Great for spring moisture, but expect difficult travel on mountain passes.
Despite all of this, temperatures stay well above average in the 40s and 50s Fahrenheit through Friday. It'll feel more like early spring than late February.
FRIDAY INTO SATURDAY: A quick-moving weather system crashes the party Friday night into Saturday, dragging a cold front through the region. Expect a return to rain and snow chances of 30-70% and noticeably cooler temperatures by Saturday.
