BILLINGS — It turned out to be a beautiful day in Billings on Tuesday. In fact, the sky is so clear you can see all the way to the Beartooth Mountains and the ski runs at Red Lodge Mountain.
In the early afternoon, the temperature was 73 degrees in Billings with mostly sunny skies and a southwest wind at 14 mph gusting to 23.
Around the rest of the state, our temps are mostly into the 50s of the northwest corner of the state but 60s and 70s everywhere else. Even Sheridan was at 80 degrees.
Part of the reason we are so warm: we still have a lot of downsloping winds off the mountains that compresses the air and heats it up.
Plus, we have High Wind Watches and High Wind Warnings up around the Rocky Mountains front and north-central Montana for winds gusting to 60 to 70 mph. Plus, we have a red flag warning until 5 p.m. around the Fort Peck Reservoir and the Glasgow area.
The Doppler radar and satellite imagery shows a few wispy high clouds moving into the northwest corner of the state and the high-resolution forecast model shows the same thing.
However, we do see a new cold front trying to develop over the mountains later Tuesday night about 6 p.m., but Eastern Montana should remain mostly dry.
That developing cold front then gets pushed back up into southern Canada, and we will remain warm throughout most of Wednesday.
By Thursday, a new cold front starts moving into the northwest, and that is the one we think will push its way into southern Montana by Friday night.
Estimated Snowfall amounts have changed drastically throughout the afternoon. Now, looks like Billings and much of southern Montana will see only light snowfall throughout the entire weekend.
Most of the heavier snow will remain up along the Hi-Line and southern Canada.
At 5:30 p.m., it will be 62 degrees, then we cool down to 49 degrees in the morning, then it's back up to 66 degrees by 1:30 p.m.Wednesday. We will top out at 72 on Wednesday, cool down the 57 on Friday and back down to 19 degrees for the high on Sunday.
BILLINGS FORECAST
TONIGHT: Mostly clear and mild. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. Low 45 degrees.
WEDNESDAY: Decreasing clouds and warmer in the afternoon. West winds 10 to 20 mph. High 72 degrees.
THURSDAY: Mostly sunny and warmer still. Southwest winds 10 to 20 mph. High 69 degrees.
