BILLINGS — Nothing is coming easily with the weather. Snow and blowing snow are followed by bitter cold. And even the warm up to follow will come with strong winds at times.
A round of snow will move from north to south Tuesday night through Wednesday. Snowfall could reduce visibility and cause roads to become snow packed and slick.
Expect 6 to 18 inches in the higher areas of the Beartooth and Crazy Mountains with light snow to 3 inches in the lower elevations.
Temperatures will remain below zero in many of the lower elevations until Friday afternoon or Saturday. The cold is fairly shallow so higher elevations will tend to be less cold.
Thursday and Friday mornings, expect brutally cold readings in the teens, 20s, to even 30s below zero over a widespread area. Wind chills will be dangerously cold these mornings feeling like the 40s to 50 below.
Protect pets and livestock. Keep an emergency kit in your vehicle. Limit outdoor exposure, dress in layers and cover all exposed skin. Frostbite can occur in just a matter of minutes at these temperatures.
Temperatures warm quickly in time for Christmas but that will come with periods of strong winds, especially in the wind-prone areas closer to the mountains. Billings could be breezy.
Temperatures recover to the 30s and 40s for highs on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. A quick rain or snow shower is possible.
