BILLINGS- On Friday afternoon, a few high clouds are starting roll into the Billings area, but temperatures are starting to warm up rather nicely.
Already in the early afternoon, the temperature in Billings has made it to 29 degrees, and we are expecting it to get into the 30s as the afternoon wears on.
The early afternoon temperatures in eastern Montana are mostly in the teens and 20s, but once you get out to the western part of the state. We are warming up into the upper 20s and 30s.
A Winter Weather Advisory is forecast to go into effect at 8 p.m. Friday and last through 11 p.m. Saturday for Cascade, Meagher and Judith Basin counties.
There, we could see two to six inches of snow on the plains and six to 12 inches of snow up in the mountains. Kings Hill pass, by Great Falls, could see as much has eight inches of new snow.
Plus we have a Lake Wind Advisory for Fort Peck Reservoir. Starting Saturday morning and going through most of the day, winds could reach 35 mph on the lake.
The Doppler radar and satellite imagery shows high clouds already moving south-central Montana.
There is a fresh batch of snow across the Hi-Line and another one moving in from Kalispell.
The high-resolution computer forecast shows the clouds will start getting thicker in south-central Montana and Billings this evening, while the two distinct batches of snow will split.
The first batch by Havre will track to the east and end up in North Dakota, while the second in Kalispell will track down the spine of the Rockies and stay to the west of Billings.
This means Billings will be in between weather disturbances again.
However, a new cold front moves in on Sunday and that could bring Billings and south-central Montana chances for some additional snow that afternoon.
Temperatures are forecast to stay into the 30s for the next 24 hours. Then they’ll bounce up into the 40s as we head into the middle part of next week.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy and not as cold. West winds 10 to 20 mph. Low 29 degrees.
SATURDAY: Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance for snow showers in the morning then changing to rain mixing with snow in the afternoon. Northwest winds 15 to 25 mph. High 38 degrees.
SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with a 30 percent chance for snow in the morning and again in the afternoon. West winds 5 to 15 mph. High 33 degrees.
