BILLINGS — Tuesday will be mostly sunny across the region with only isolated afternoon thunderstorms over the western mountains. High temperatures will be in the 80s over the eastern plains and 70 from Billings to the west.
On Wednesday, a weak Pacific cold front moves across the state, which will trigger thunderstorms. A few of these storms could be strong, producing brief gusty winds and small hail.
Unlike the thunderstorms of the last couple of weeks, these thunderstorms will move west to east and are not expected to remain stationary over any one particular area. Although brief heavy rain could be expected, the potential for flooding with Wednesday's storms remains low.
Thursday will be the coolest day of the next seven days, with partly cloudy skies and temperatures into the lower 70s. A few isolated thunderstorms are possible Thursday, but much of the area is expected to remain dry.
High temperatures will warm both Friday and Saturday into the upper 70s to mid 80s over the eastern plains. Some locations in eastern Montana could push 90 degrees by Saturday.
By late in the weekend, a deep trough of low pressure pushes into the Pacific Northwest turning the upper-level winds to the southwest. This will allow temperatures over eastern Montana to warm through Sunday and also increase the risk for severe thunderstorms by early next week. There remains some uncertainty with exactly how this system will evolve, which could either lead to cooler, wetter weather or increase the chances for severe weather early next week. Stay tuned for updates.
