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Q2 Weather: Smoke, thunderstorms and flooding all possible in Billings area Friday

Posted at 3:25 PM, May 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-31 17:25:47-04

BILLINGS- The smoke from the Canadian wildfires continues to waft its way into Billings Friday, and the rest of Montana too. Not only smoke from Canada but now a new cold front is moving in as well.

Temps across eastern Montana continue to stay mostly into the mid-60s. But we are little warmer out in the west, where temperatures are starting to get back into the low 70s.

The Doppler radar shows the story Friday: scattered afternoon splash and dash showers and thunderstorms are starting in the western part of the state.

Then they make their way to the Beartooth Mountains and head for south-central Montana, including Billings.

It is the splash-and-dash showers that are getting folks worried.

The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Watch for Sweet Grass, Carbon, Yellowstone and Bighorn counties of Montana and Sheridan County in Wyoming Friday.

Heavy rain over soggy ground will have the tendency to cause more flooding in the watch area.

The thunderstorms moving into the region Friday are expected be very slow and lumbering, containing a great deal of rain.

Elsewhere we see a Flood Warning and Flood Watch for the Tongue River at Miles City and Birney, and the Powder River is now in Flood Warning at Ekalaka and Broadus.

Our high-resolution forecast model does show splash-and-dash showers and thunderstorms developing in western Montana Friday.

They will continue to work into the south-central part of the state and eventually to Sheridan County, Wyoming. This is where we have the flood watch today.

Eventually all this goes away on Saturday with generally partly cloudy skies and a few spotty showers that afternoon and again Sunday afternoon.

We look for temps to get and stay into the 80s all next week.

BILLINGS FORECAST

TONIGHT: Flash flood watch through this evening. Otherwise patchy smoke, mostly cloudy skies and just a 20% chance for isolated evening thundershowers. Mostly clear skies expected overnight. Northeast winds 5 to 10 mph this evening shifting to the West overnight. Low 51 degrees.

 SATURDAY: Mostly sunny and warmer with a 20% chance for afternoon showers and thunderstorms. South winds 5 to 10 mph. High 79 degrees.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny and warmer. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph. High 84 degrees.