


Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Billings, MT
Issued by NWS Billings, MT
944 FXUS65 KBYZ 061933 AFDBYZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Billings MT 133 PM MDT Fri Jun 6 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Breezy northwest winds this weekend; gusts 30-40 mph to near 50 mph along Dakotas border. - Warmer (highs in 80s to near 90F) early next week. - The chance for showers and thunderstorms increases next week, beginning Tuesday. && .DISCUSSION... Through Saturday night... Satellite imagery shows dry northwest flow over the region with high clouds beginning to spread into northern MT in response to a Canadian shortwave. Trof over WY continues to drift southeastward, but as expected, there are a few showers over the Bighorns and even a few lightning strikes in the Cloud Peak area. Otherwise, our forecast area is sunny and dry today with downslope warming pushing temps into the 70s. Some locations will touch 80F today. Passage of a weak Canadian wave will bring some mid/high clouds (and maybe high-based virga?) tonight. Downslope gradients tighten a bit, so expect a little wind along the western foothills and an overall warmer night due to this and the cloud cover. Stronger Canadian low drops into the northern plains tomorrow and tomorrow night. This will bring (1) frontal/mixed breezy NW winds with widespread 25-35 mph gusts beginning by late Saturday morning, and (2) some light showers along NW-SE oriented mid level baroclinic zone tomorrow afternoon and night. There isn`t much instability with the onset of cold advection, and what there is will be shallow, so the risk of lightning is pretty low. The probability of wind gusts exceeding 40 mph is about 20% in the east (probs are higher Sunday) and the chance of precip exceeding 0.10" is only 5-10%. Although not particularly impactful weather, the breezy winds will affect outdoor activities. Temps will be seasonable. Look for lows in the upper 40s and 50s tonight, highs Saturday mostly in the 70s, and lows tomorrow night in the mid 40s to lower 50s. JKL Sunday through Friday... A 500 mb low moving into the North Central US will bring strong winds to southeast Montana Sunday. 850 mb winds nearing 40 kts and steep lapse rates will help to create strong mix down winds. Expected winds have increased with ensemble systems indicating wind gusts near the Dakotas border could (40-60%) approach 50 mph. Widespread wind gusts into the 30s to near 40 mph are expected elsewhere. Ridging will make its way into the region for the early workweek with temperatures peaking Tuesday. The probabilities for a high temperature over 90 degrees Tuesday continues to increase across the region with locations below 4,500 ft having a 50-80% chance. Starting Wednesday, ensembles are in good agreement that an upper level low over the Pacific northwest will bring more active weather to the region. Temperatures are expected to decrease while still remaining seasonal. Southwest flow will bring increased moisture to the region. This combined with frequent upper level waves are expected to bring near daily precipitation chances through Friday. Torgerson && .AVIATION... Isolated showers over the Bighorn Mountains will dissipate by early this evening. VFR conditions will prevail tonight and Saturday, though by tomorrow afternoon expect isolated showers to develop as a cold front drops through the region. This front will bring breezy NW winds tomorrow late morning and afternoon. Look for gusts of 25-35 knots, greatest east of KBIL. JKL && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS... Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri ----------------------------------------------------------- BIL 056/079 052/076 049/085 058/092 058/085 057/078 055/078 12/W 20/B 00/U 01/U 34/T 55/T 55/T LVM 048/077 046/076 047/085 054/087 053/080 050/076 049/075 01/N 20/U 00/U 02/T 46/T 66/T 66/T HDN 053/079 051/075 044/084 052/092 057/087 057/079 055/081 12/W 20/U 00/U 01/U 33/T 55/T 55/T MLS 054/079 051/074 047/082 053/093 061/087 058/078 056/080 03/W 30/N 00/U 00/U 32/W 54/T 64/T 4BQ 053/078 050/071 047/078 052/090 059/086 057/078 056/080 02/T 30/U 00/U 00/U 21/B 54/T 54/T BHK 050/077 044/070 042/076 048/088 054/082 053/075 052/076 03/T 10/N 00/U 00/U 22/W 44/T 54/T SHR 048/077 047/070 044/079 049/088 054/084 052/076 052/079 02/T 30/N 00/U 01/U 23/T 56/T 45/T && .BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MT...None. WY...None. && $$ weather.gov/billings