BILLINGS — One more mild day before we see the temperatures begin to drop as rain and snow moves into the picture. The weekend will be wet and cool, but how much precipitation is still a bit of a question.
Expect another mild overnight with temperatures in the 30s to mid-40s. Friday afternoon will range from the 60s west of Billings to the 70s to even maybe a low 80° reading in eastern Montana, the Dakotas and northern Wyoming.
Clouds will begin to increase from west to east late Friday with a few showers or isolated thunderstorms, but the bulk of the moisture will show up during the day on Saturday, with continued areas of rain and snow through at least Monday morning.
Weekend temperatures will be in the 20s and 30s for the lows, with highs in the 40s to low 50s Saturday and mainly the 40s by Sunday. Temperatures will cool enough for areas of rain and snow mix for the low elevations.
Winter Storm Watches are in effect for the Pryor and Bighorn Mountains, along with the Judith and Snowy Mountains north of Billings. One to two feet of accumulation are possible. That's great news considering the low snowpack at this late point in the season.
A quick shift in the weather pattern pulls us back to at or warmer than average readings by early next week. As showers end Monday, the middle of the week looks warm and drying. High temperatures return to the 50s to low 60s and drop to the 30s in the mornings.
