BILLINGS — After a very warm April day, changes come quickly behind gusty winds. Up next: cooler days with rain and snow showers.
The Billings airport reached 80 degrees Tuesday afternoon, tying the record for the date. Miles City reached a high of 88 degrees, shattering the old record of 84.
But for areas to the west of Billings, wind was the biggest weather maker. Gusts of 50 to over 60 mph in the mountain foothills were recorded through early Tuesday evening.
Wind will continue to follow a cold front across eastern Montana through Tuesday evening. Expect mild morning temperatures, into the 30s and 40s in eastern Montana and northern Wyoming.
Highs Wednesday will be mainly into the 50s with a mix of clouds and sun and an increasing chance of showers later in the day. The mountains and foothills will start to see accumulations, especially by Wednesday evening continuing through Thursday.
The bulk of the snow will stay in the higher elevations, with areas like the Crazy Mountains receiving a foot to 2 feet of new snow. Billings will likely see a rain/snow mix on Thursday, with only light precipitation expected east of Billings.
Temperatures will be the coolest Thursday and Friday, with lows in the 20s to low 30s and highs mainly in the 40s. Highs in the mid to lower 50s are our average this time of the year.
As the latest weather system exits, we will see a rebound to warmer conditions over the weekend. Saturday afternoon will be mainly in the mid to lower 50s with sunshine, and Sunday should hit mainly the 60s.
