BILLINGS — Northwest flow will bring a brief break from the snow Monday through Tuesday afternoon.
Winds will become quite strong Monday night through Wednesday morning from Livingston to Nye and Big Timber to Harlowton, with gusts possibly pushing near 65 mph. A Wind Advisory will be in effect.
Daytime temperatures will be a bit warmer Tuesday ahead of an Arctic cold front that will bring the coldest air of the season so far. In fact, several disturbances will ripple through the region, bringing big changes in our weather conditions for the rest of the week.
The major concern will be the dangerously cold temperatures that will settle in Thursday through at least the weekend with sub-zero daytime highs and well below zero nighttime lows. Wind chills could dip to 20 to 30 below Friday night through Sunday.
Daily snow chances return beginning Tuesday that will last through the weekend. Going by a blend of models, the Beartooths/Absarokas could pick up 3-6 inches by Tuesday night with up to a foot of snow by Monday morning. The northern Bighorns could also receive up to a foot. Two to four inches will be possible in the lower elevations. These projections are sure to change, so stay tuned. We'll keep you updated.
Another issue with this strong winter system will be the potential for rivers to freeze, leading to ice jams. Areas prone to flooding will need to pay close attention later this week.
Daytime highs will be in the 20s/30s Mondayh, 30s/40s Tuesday, 20s/30s on Wednesday, single digits/10s on Thursday then sub-zero/single digits Friday through the weekend.
Nighttime lows will be mainly in the 10s Monday night, 10s/20s Tuesday night, below zero/single digits Wednesday night then below zero through the the weekend.
-Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
