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Q2 Weather: A day of severe storms possible; most to slide by Billings

Posted at 3:12 PM, Jun 06, 2019
and last updated 2019-06-06 17:12:32-04

Billings is enjoying mostly sunny skies at 2 p.m. Thursday and the temperature is already up to 90 degrees.

Elsewhere around the state, we’re seeing a lot of 60s and 70s out west and a lot of 80s across the rest of the east.

The big threat Thursday is severe thunderstorms. Our thunderstorm outlook shows an increased risk of severe storms from southwest Montana up to north-central Montana near Havre.

In the Billings area, we have a marginal risk of severe storms to the east. We have only an isolated threat of thunderstorms.

However, tomorrow, the threat of severe thunderstorms seems to jump over the Billings area and we will just be left with some isolated showers and thunderstorms on Friday.

This afternoon, the Doppler radar and satellite imagery shows a few small cells in northern Wyoming but not so much in south-central Montana.

We see some strong cells developing in southwestern Montana in Beaverhead County, still following the jet stream and heading right up toward the Lewistown area effectively doing an end run around Billings.

In fact, that’s what our high-resolution forecast model is showing, too. We think by about 4:30 p.m. we will probably see some strong cells move over Broadview of northwestern Yellowstone County and start heading toward Musselshell County and Roundup.

Billings could see a few spotty showers out of this storms Thursday afternoon. Then on Friday afternoon, about 4:30 p.m., you see some strong cells move near Fort Smith and Lame Deer in Big Horn County, heading toward Rosebud County.

Billings can expect to see just some light rain the rest of Friday, with clearing skies by Saturday afternoon.

Temperatures are expected to get up to 92 degrees this afternoon and then start rolling back into the 60s overnight and get back up to 64 degrees about 2 p.m. Friday.

BILLINGS FORECAST

TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance for showers and thunderstorms this evening. Some storms may be severe. Southwest winds 5 to 15 mph. High 92 degrees.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy and cooler with the 80 percent chance for rain in the morning and showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon. North winds 5 to 15 mph. High 72 degrees.

SATURDAY: Partly sunny with a 40 percent chance for morning rain showers than a slight chance for showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon and cooler. West winds 10 to 20 mph. High 61 degrees.