BILLINGS — Montana and Wyoming have had a strong ridge of high pressure overhead for the last several days, and that has led to well-above-average highs in late January and now early February. That ridge is on its way out, and changes are coming. Thursday night, we can expect a mostly clear to partly cloudy sky with lows mainly in the 20s and 30s.
We can expect increasing clouds through the day Friday as moisture begins to funnel its way over the northern Rockies. Temperatures will cool on Friday, and our far western areas will have a chance of rain and snow overnight Friday and early Saturday. Saturday will be cooler with a better chance of rain and high-elevation snow through afternoon.
Cooler air is coming, and that will lower snow levels and allow for more areas to get snow late Saturday and Sunday. Snow levels should drop from around 6,000 feet to 3,500 feet through late Sunday. Lower elevations will have a chance of snow, but even small amounts of rain could cause a little local flooding due to the water not sinking into the frozen ground.
