BILLINGS — Welcome to a brand new season as Spring arrived just after 3 AM this morning.
Clouds will be on the increase Thursday morning as a trough begins to wield its influence on the area. 3-6" of snow could fall across the Beartooths and Absarokas. The Pryors and Bighorns could even get a few inches by end of the day. Lower elevations will have a chance of rain showers and possibly some snow mixing in. Our eastern counties could hear a rumble of thunder or two.
As the trough moves through, the pressure gradient continues to tighten, bringing very strong winds to our western foothills. With gusts over 60 mph possible Thursday morning, a Wind Advisory is in effect. Use caution if you drive a high profile vehicle. Gusts between 30-50 mph will remain possible across the western foothills through the weekend into Monday while gusts between 20-40 mph will be possible elsewhere.
There will be a brief dry period on Friday before our next system moves in beginning Friday night. This will bring a chance of 5-10" of snow across the Beartooths and 2-5" in the Bighorns through Saturday. Adjacent foothills could pick up a few inches, too. The lower elevations will see on-and-off rain showers across the weekend. Some snow could mix in as well.
Some lingering snow and rain is possible on Monday but high pressure will start to bring dry conditions by Tuesday. It will also turn warmer with some areas trying to crack 70° by the middle of next week.
Daytime highs will be near seasonal through the weekend in the 40s and 50s with overnight lows in the 20s and 30s.
Miller Robson
Q2 Morning Meteorologist
miller.robson@ktvq.com
