BILLINGS — Conditions have been very dry the last four weeks. Combined with warmer than average temperatures and breezy periods through the weekend, the risk of rangeland and forest fires increases.
Use caution in the backcountry. Watch for possible burning restrictions.
High temperatures in the mid-40s to upper 50s are 15 to 20 degrees above the seasonal average each afternoon through early next week. Dry conditions continue, with periods of wind.
Friday will be breezy with gusts of 20 to 30 miles an hour from Billings westward. After a low in the winds Saturday, speeds will increase again Saturday night through Sunday.
Expect mainly sunny to mostly sunny afternoons, and clear to partly cloudy overnight. Lows will be in the 20s to low 30s for most locations.
The timing and intensity of a change in the weather pattern is still not clear. But expect cooler temperatures and an increasing chance of showers by the end of next week.
Billings forecast:
Friday… Mainly sunny with a high near 52. Westerly wind 15 to 25 mph.
Friday night… Mostly clear with a low around 29. Winds decrease in the evening to 5 to 15 mph.
Saturday… Sunny with a high close to 51. Winds increase during the late afternoon and evening.
