BILLINGS — The stretch of mild weather continues right up to Christmas.
Winds have eased a bit around Big Timber, but you will still run into strong gust from Livingston to Big Timber northward to Harlowton through the day on Wednesday. Winds near Livingston stay brisk through Thursday, but the overall trend is better.
Otherwise, look for a mix of clouds and sunshine Wednesday and Thursday with high temperatures mainly in the upper 30s to mid 40s. Overnight temperatures will be mainly in the 20s the lower elevations.
The warmest readings look to be through the weekend, with highs Friday through Sunday in the upper 40s to mid 50s. We may not break the record high of 57 in Billings on Saturday, but we could at least be in the neighborhood.
The dry and warmer-than-average conditions remain through Christmas Eve. The timing and intensity of a weather system moving in still needs to be watched, but the trend is a little cooler with a chance of snow by Christmas.
At this point, the best chance of snow appears to be right after Christmas, but early indications are snowfall will not be a major hazard to travel. Keep checking back!
Billings forecast:
Wednesday… Increasing clouds with a high near 46. Southwest wind 15 to 25 mph.
Wednesday night… Mostly to partly cloudy with a low around 28. Southwest wind 10 to 20 mph.
Thursday… Mostly sunny with a high temperature at about 45.
