BILLINGS- After picking up 0.11 of an inch of rainfall last night in Billings, the clouds still look a little threatening. Temps in the early afternoon remain in the low 60s for Billings.
Other temperatures around the state in the early afternoon are mostly in the 40s and 50s. However, Billings, Miles City and Worland, Wyo., are in the low 60s.
The thunderstorm outlook for Monday shows a chance for isolated showers across almost all of Montana and northern Wyoming.
The Doppler radar shows scattered showers to the north and south of Billings and a few sprinkles just out to the west, in Stillwater County.
A big batch of rain by Great Falls is going to track probably west to east, because it’s caught up in a westerly flow of air aloft.
The rain showers and the cooler temperatures are all part of an upper-level trough that has settled over Montana. This trough will stick around for about another day and then move on.
We expect a much bigger and stronger trough to move in closer to the weekend, one that could bring rain and snow showers to Billings by Friday night and Saturday morning.
In the meantime, the almost zonal westerly flow from the west will swing around to the Northwest by 6:30 p.m. Monday.
This will bring some of the rain near Great Falls and direct it right into Billings later Monday.
The whole system will move to the east by Tuesday morning, and sunny skies should return to Billings later that morning and afternoon.
On Friday night, the temperatures will fall down into the mid-30s and bring pretty decent chance for rain mixing with snow to Billings.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance for rain showers or thunderstorms in the evening. Then rain possible overnight. Northwest winds 5 to 15 mph. Low 40 degrees.
TUESDAY: Mostly sunny with a 20 percent chance for morning showers. West winds 5 to 15 mph. High 65 degrees.
WEDNESDAY: Increasing clouds and mild with a 30 percent chance for rain showers moving in overnight Wednesday night. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. High 68 degrees.
