BILLINGS — The spring equinox occurs at 9:06 p.m. Mountain time as the sun's rays say we switch from winter to spring. But the weather has other ideas.
Colder air nudges in from Canada will moisture streams in from the west. The combination will bring much colder and much wetter conditions for the weekend.
Overnight temperatures will still be mild in the 20s to low 30s early Wednesday. Highs from Billings to the West and South will be in the 50s to around 60 degrees. But eastern Montana will top off in the mid 30s to low 50s with increasing clouds.
Rain and snow showers will become more widespread across northern and eastern Montana into western North Dakota. Areas along the Hi-Line from Havre to Glasgow could pick up 4 to 6 inches of snow from Wednesday through Thursday.
The colder air will continue to edge slowly toward the west through the Billings area and eventually overrunning western Montana. Moist air from the west will overrun the cold air from the north, creating areas of rain and then snow showers as the week progresses.
By the weekend, highs will be mainly into the 20s and 30s, with lows in the single digits and teens by early next week. Areas of snow could be a bit heavy at times, especially to the north and east of Billings.
