BILLINGS — Late Wednesday, expect a significant transition to cooler and wetter conditions continuing into early Friday. Here's a summary of what to expect:
Tuesday evening will be quiet. Increasing clouds will hold temperatures in the upper 30s to mid-40s early Wednesday.
As the weather system approaches, there's a high 70 to 100% chance of precipitation persisting from late Wednesday into early Thursday. This will likely start as rain and switch to snow, even in the lower elevations.
Expect cool conditions, impacting travel, outdoor activities, and young livestock. Precipitation will begin as all snow in the mountains above 6,000-7,000 feet.
For the mountains and foothills: 1 to 2 inches of liquid precipitation is likely with higher amounts on north/northeast facing slopes. For the lower elevations: 0.20 to 1 inch of liquid is predicted, particularly strong in south-central Montana.
Snow Forecast:
- Mountains: 10 to 20 inches.
- Beartooth Mountains/Red Lodge Foothills: 8 to 14 inches.
- Bighorn Foothills: 3 to 6 inches.
- Billings: 1 to 3 inches.
- Eastern areas (Miles City, Baker, Alzada): Trace amounts.
Gusty northern winds are expected, with gusts between 20 to 40 mph. Possible lingering precipitation is possible Friday, especially in the eastern half of Montana, but uncertainty exists.
For Saturday, a brief ridge will bring back seasonally average temperatures around 60°F for Billings.
Sunday to Tuesday: A new trough will approach, bringing potential precipitation primarily as rain at lower elevations, depending on the details of the system, which are still uncertain.
