BILLINGS — Dangerously strong winds will highlight the weather midweek.
Strong winds will develop in the mountain foothills Tuesday and spread across the eastern plains Wednesday. Mountain waves could also affect usually shielded areas like Red Lodge and Sheridan, Wyoming.
Most of the area could see wind gusts up to 70 mph, with 85 mile-per-hour wind gusts possible in the Livingston/Nye area.
High-profile vehicles could be tipped in the windy corridors of I 90 and US Highway 191 from Big Timber to Harlowton. Broken tree limbs could cause power outages, and with the dry conditions, any wildfires will spread very quickly.
Overnight temperatures will be mainly in the mid-20s to mid 30s Tuesday morning, hitting the upper 40s and low 50s Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday will be especially warm ahead of the front hitting highs well into the 50s with a few low 60s possible.
As the winds decrease Thursday and Friday, temperatures will settle into the 40s for the highs and in the 20s for the lows. Average readings this time of the year would be in the mid 30s for highs and mainly teens in the mornings.
Billings forecast:
Monday night… Partly cloudy with a low of about 31. Westerly wind 15 to 25 mph.
Tuesday… Partly sunny with a high near 50. Southwest wind 15 to 25 mph.
Tuesday night/Wednesday… Winds increase with overnight temperatures in the upper 30s. By Wednesday afternoon, expect a high in the mid-50s but wind gusts could reach as high as 50 mph.
