BILLINGS- It has turned out to be a cloudy, gloomy-looking day, but at least we’re above zero in Billings.
And in fact, we’ve warmed all the way up to 29 degrees under those mostly cloudy skies this Wednesday at 2 p.m.
Elsewhere around the state, we’ve warmed up into the teens and 20s in northeastern Montana. So the coldest of the Arctic air has finally slipped away to the east into the Dakotas.
Elsewhere in Montana, we’re into the 30s in most of the central part of the state and mostly teens and 20s again out west.
The Doppler radar shows a little snow between Lewistown and Miles City heading to the southeast.
This seems to be the dividing line between the coldest air and the not-so-cold air.
So far, most of the snow has been this just light flurries and will continue to march towards the Black Hills of South Dakota as the day wears on.
The coldest Arctic air is settling over the Great Lakes states, while warm air and a ridge of high pressure starts moving into the Pacific Northwest and western Montana.
The high-resolution forecast model shows scattered snow showers will continue across eastern Montana and wind up into the Dakotas later Wednesday night.
The warm air will continue to intoin to central Montana Thursday, and a warm front will sweep across the state by Thursday night into Friday morning.
Our temperatures will cool down into the upper 20s for overnight lows, and then warm back up into the 40s for highs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
After that, a weather pattern change moves in on Sunday and cools us down and brings a much wetter and colder pattern as we head into next week.
It is a pattern that will bring accumulating snow, and much colder air.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy, breezy and warmer. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. Low 23 degrees.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and warmer. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. High 43 degrees.
FRIDAY: Mostly sunny, breezy and warmer still. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. High 51 degrees.
