BILLINGS — It has turned out to be a Chamber of Commerce Friday afternoon in Billings. We have severe clear skies and plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures.
In fact, the early afternoon temperature was 54 degrees in Billings and expected to get even higher. Plus, it is a little on the breezy side. Our winds are out of the southwest at 18 gusting to 29 mph.
Around the rest of the state, temps are mostly into the 40s and 50s. We are a little bit cooler over at Bozeman, Cody and Worland, which are all in the upper 30s.
The Doppler radar and satellite imagery shows a little bit of a northwesterly flow of air across the state, but there's no precipitation to work with so all we have is just some mid and high level clouds tracking across the mountains.
The high-resolution forecast model “seconds” that opinion and, in fact, we will probably see clear skies for most of Friday night.
Then on Saturday morning, a new cold front starts moving in from the northwest and producing snow in the mountains.
We think that cold front will sweep into the Billings area by 6:30 p.m. Saturday and bring with it a slight chance for rain and snow showers.
Then the whole thing kicks out of here, and just a few lingering snow flurries are expected Sunday morning.
The computer model estimates the snowfall will be anywhere from 1 to 2 inches at Lewistown and Livingston and 2 to 4 inches at Cody, Sheridan and Worland. Everyone else will get light snow or nothing at all.
For the rest of Friday, we will stay in the 50s and roll back down to the 30s around midnight and stay there for the morning, then get back up into the low 50s Saturday afternoon.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Increasing clouds and still mild. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Low 35 degrees.
SATURDAY: Decreasing clouds, windy and getting warmer. West winds 15 to 25 mph. High 54 degrees.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with a 40% chance for rain early in the evening, then snow late in the evening and overnight. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Low 30 degrees.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a 20% chance for snow in the morning and colder. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph. High 39 degrees.
