BILLINGS- The cloudy skies made it into the Billings area Wednesday afternoon, but so far the rain has not.
The temperature in Billings at 2 p.m. was 52 degrees under those cloudy skies.
It seems that the central part of the state is the coldest with temps only into the 40s and low 50s while we have 60 degree readings on either end of Montana, out west and back east.
We still have a southwesterly flow of air across the state and the northern branch of the jet stream is taking showers from Lewistown up to the Glasgow area.
The main branch of the jet stream continues to give south-central Montana that same southwesterly flow of air, only it is pumping in dryer air at the mid and upper levels.
The high-resolution forecast model shows a low-pressure cell developing out around Yellowstone Park Wednesday afternoon.
It is forecast to slide to the east, and when it does it will take the leading edge of the moisture and turn into south-central Montana, including Billings.
Another wave of moisture is forecast to track around that low-pressure cell around midnight, and that’s when Billings will get a chance for some additional rainfall.
The rain will start pulling away from Billings around 8 a.m. Thursday as the low-pressure cell starts moving into the Dakotas, taking the rainfall with it.
We might see some additional sprinkles move through Yellowstone County after 6 p.m. Thursday as the last bit of moisture sweeps across the state.
The computer says now Billings will only pick up .11 inches of rain. The big winners will be up around Glasgow and Glendive.
They will both get around an inch of rain while Miles City will see a little over half an inch of rain.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy with a 70 percent chance for evening showers. Then look for a chance for numerous showers overnight. North winds 5 to 15 mph. Low 45 degrees.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy with a 50 percent chance for morning showers. Then look for a slight chance for more rain in the afternoon. Northwest winds 10 to 20 mph. High 60 degrees.
FRIDAY: mostly sunny and warmer. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. High 69 degrees.
