BILLINGS — Along the Yellowstone River in the Billings Heights Tuesday, we have partly cloudy skies and the weather seems to be right on target.
In the early afternoon, we still have partly cloudy skies and 32 degrees in Billings, with a 6 mph wind that gives us a windchill factor of 26 degrees outside.
Around the rest of the state, temps are mostly into the 20s and 30s with the hotspots being Missoula and Helena. Their temps are already into the upper 30s, while northern Wyoming was seeing upper 20s.
The Doppler radar and satellite imagery shows generally dry conditions across most of Montana. We have just a few lingering flurries over the mountains between Missoula and Great Falls, and a few lingering snow showers in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
The high-resolution forecast model continues to show just a few spotty flurries here or there across much of Montana Tuesday. It really isn't until Wednesday morning that we start to see more snow move into western Montana.
This is a minor weather disturbance, and we figure it will possibly be pushing into the Billings area about 10 p.m. Wednesday.
By Thursday morning, the whole system moves out of the region, and all we will have left is a few lingering snow showers over the Beartooth Mountains and foothills.
Snowfall amounts are expected to be light. We might see 1 to 2 inches over Lewistown or Sheridan and Bozeman. But everyone else is expecting just a few flurries.
Our temperatures will continue to zoom up to 35 degrees next hour then back down into the 20s later Tuesday night and in the morning. We are back into the low 40s by 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.
We will top out at 45 degrees on Wednesday, work our way up to 55 on Saturday, then back down into the mid-40s at the beginning part of next week.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Partly cloudy and cool. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Low 22 degrees.
WEDNESDAY: Decreasing clouds, windy and warmer. Southwest winds 15 to 25 mph. High 45 degrees.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy with a 40% chance for rain and snow showers in the evening changing to all snow overnight.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny and warmer. West winds 10 to 20 mph. High 48 degrees.
