BILLINGS — Mostly cloudy skies are moving into Billings and south-central Montana Tuesday.
This is all part of a weather pattern change that could bring a deep moisture field to the region and the chance for showers and thunderstorms over the next 48 hours.
In the early afternoon, the temperatures are already starting to cook up pretty well. Here in Billings, it was already 87 degrees at 2 p.m.
Around the rest of the state, we are into the 70s and 80s out west, 90s across central Montana from Great Falls to Jordan and 70s and 80s in northern Wyoming.
Doppler radar shows showers and thunderstorms already brewing in Idaho and Wyoming, and they continue to travel north. We see stronger storms coming over the Bighorn Mountains.
The high-resolution forecast model shows those showers to be near Billings by 6 p.m. Tuesday. Then a low-pressure cell over northern Wyoming will draw those showers back down south again, and pull them away from Billings by Wednesday morning.
More showers will fire up around south-central Montana on Wednesday morning, but the low-pressure cell in Wyoming will continue to pull them away from Billings again.
By Thursday, we are looking at generally dry conditions across the region with a few spotty showers around the Beartooth and Bighorn mountains.
Tuesday night, our temps will cool back down to the 50s and 60s across south-central Montana and northern Wyoming with a few showers around the state line.
By 5:30 p.m., it will be 86 degrees and cooling back down to the 60s in the morning, then back to the 80s tomorrow afternoon.
We will top out at 89 on Wednesday and get back into the 90s on Thursday through the weekend and 97 degrees by Monday.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly cloudy, with a 60% chance for showers and thunderstorms in the evening, then a chance for showers and thunderstorms overnight. West winds 5 to 15 mph. Low 66 degrees.
WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny with a 30% chance for showers and thunderstorms. West winds 5 to 10 mph. High 89 degrees.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny and warm. Southwest winds 5 to 10 mph the morning shifting to the Southeast in the afternoon. High 92 degrees.
