BILLINGS — Don't the Beartooth Mountains look beautiful Thursday? You'll notice the clear skies over the mountains but over Billings, it is still kind of cloudy.
But the temperature is currently working its way up into the upper 40s to low 50s.
Around the rest of the state, our current temps are mostly into the 30s and 40s, but a few places like Great Falls, Jordan and Sheridan are in the 50s.
We expect to see a few more 50s around the state before the day is done also.
The story today shows up on the Doppler radar and satellite imagery. For the most part, it's pretty dry, except for some mid and high-level clouds in the central part of the state.
We think those clouds hitch a ride on the jet stream and kick on out of here quickly.
The high-resolution forecast model shows a lot of sunny skies across the state for the rest for the afternoon and into the evening.
However, by Friday, a new weather system starts moving into western Montana and promises to bring scattered rain showers to the valleys and snow to the mountains.
In fact, the system will come close to Billings by 6 p.m. Friday.
We expect it to produce some widely scattered rain showers across south-central Montana with snow in the Beartooth Mountains and foothills.
On Saturday morning, the whole cold front will push clean through the state, returning us back to mostly sunny skies for Saturday afternoon.
Our temperatures are expected to get into the 50s Thursday, then roll back down to the 30s and the morning and back to the mid-50s again Friday.
In fact, we expect to see 50s Friday through Tuesday and then roll back to the 40s by Wednesday, with a chance of snow.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy, breezy and continued mild. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Low 34 degrees.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and a little warmer. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. High 56 degrees.
SATURDAY: Mostly sunny with a 20% chance for rain showers in the morning and sunshine returning in the afternoon. West winds 10 to 20 mph. High 52 degrees.
