629
FXUS65 KBYZ 260935
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
335 AM MDT SUN OCT 26 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- PERIODS OF WIND TODAY AND MONDAY, STRONGEST OVER THE FOOTHILLS
WEST OF BILLINGS WHERE THERE IS A MODERATE CHANCE OF 50 MPH.
- PERIODS OF PRECIPITATION THROUGH MONDAY. BEST CHANCE OVER THE
LOWER ELEVATIONS IS TONIGHT INTO MONDAY (30 TO 60 PERCENT).
- LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS POSSIBLE MAINLY OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND
HIGHER HILLS OF THE PLAINS TONIGHT THROUGH MONDAY.
- MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS WITH NEAR TO SLIGHTLY ABOVE NORMAL
TEMPERATURES RETURN TUESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH SATURDAY...
A COLD FRONT IS BRINGING GUSTY WEST WINDS AND COOLER TEMPERATURES
BACK ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING. WITH THIS, GUSTS IN THE 40S
AND 50S (MPH) HAVE BEEN COMMON OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF
BILLINGS. AS THIS FRONT CONTINUES TO PUSH EAST THROUGH THE MORNING
HOURS, GUSTS GENERALLY IN THE 20S TO 40S (MPH) LOOK TO BE COMMON.
WHILE A GUST TO 50 MPH OVER THE HIGHER HILLS ON THE PLAINS IS
CERTAINLY POSSIBLE, THE CHANCE REMAINS LOWER (20 PERCENT OR LESS).
BEHIND THE FRONT, WINDS LOOK TO TEMPORARILY DECREASE THIS MORNING
BEFORE DAYTIME MIXING BRINGS GUSTY WESTERLY WINDS BACK ACROSS THE
AREA. WITH THIS, WESTERLY WINDS GUSTS IN THE 20S AND 30S (MPH)
WILL BE COMMON ACROSS MUCH OF THE AREA. AROUND LIVINGSTON TO BIG
TIMBER TO HARLOWTON, WESTERLY WIND GUSTS IN THE 30S AND 40S (MPH)
LOOK TO BE COMMON. AS FAR AS 50 MPH WINDS GO, THE CHANCE IS 50
PERCENT AROUND LIVINGSTON AND 40 PERCENT AROUND BIG TIMBER AND
HARLOWTON. BY THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT, THE GUSTY WINDS LOOK TO
COME TO AN END ACROSS THE AREA.
OUTSIDE OF THE WINDS, ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ARE ONGOING
OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA THIS MORNING. AS THE FRONT MOVES
THROUGH THE AREA, IT WILL USHER IN MUCH DRIER AIR, SO THE CHANCE
OF PRECIPITATION DROPS OFF FOR MUCH OF THE AREA OUTSIDE OF THE
ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS. BY LATE THIS EVENING INTO MONDAY,
ANOTHER WAVE OF ENERGY LOOKS TO MOVE INTO THE REGION, ALLOWING THE
CHANCE OF PRECIPITATION TO RETURN TO THE ENTIRE AREA (30 TO 80
PERCENT, GREATEST OVER THE MOUNTAINS AND FAR SOUTH-EASTERN
MONTANA). WHILE THE PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO COME TO AN END FOR MUCH
OF THE AREA MONDAY EVENING, ISOLATED SHOWERS MAY LINGER OVER FAR
EASTERN MONTANA MONDAY NIGHT. WITH REGARDS TO PRECIPITATION TYPE
TODAY THROUGH MONDAY, ALL SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE MOUNTAINS.
OVER THE FOOTHILLS, MAINLY RAIN IS FORECAST THIS MORNING, BUT
THERE REMAINS A MODERATE CHANCE OF SEEING A RAIN/SNOW MIX. AS THE
PRECIPITATION BUILDS BACK IN OVER THE AREA TONIGHT, SNOW LEVELS
LOOK TO DROP INITIALLY TO 5,000 FEET BEFORE DROPPING AROUND 4,000
FEET BY MONDAY MORNING. THIS MEANS ALL SNOW IN THE FOOTHILLS, WITH
A RAIN/SNOW MIX OVER SOME OF THE HIGHER HILLS OF THE PLAINS. BY
MONDAY NIGHT, SURFACE TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO DROP BELOW
FREEZING, SO ANY REMAINING PRECIPITATION IN EASTERN MONTANA WILL
FALL AS LIGHT SNOW. AS FAR AS SNOW AMOUNTS GO, GENERALLY LIGHT
ACCUMULATIONS OF LESS THAN AN INCH ARE EXPECTED OVER THE
FOOTHILLS, WITH LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION OVER THE PLAINS. IN THE
MOUNTAINS, ANOTHER 4 TO 8 INCHES IS FORECAST IN THE ABSAROKA-
BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS, 2 TO 5 INCHES INCHES IN THE BIGHORN
MOUNTAINS, AND 1 TO 2 INCHES IN THE CRAZY AND PRYOR MOUNTAINS. FOR
RAINFALL AMOUNTS, THE BEST PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO FALL IN FAR
EASTERN MONTANA WHERE 0.15 TO 0.30 INCHES IS CURRENTLY FORECAST.
ALONG WITH THE PRECIPITATION ON MONDAY, ANOTHER COLD FRONT
PASSAGE COMBINED WITH GOOD MIXING WILL ALLOW BREEZY WINDS TO OCCUR
ONCE AGAIN. AT THIS TIME, GUSTS IN THE 20S AND 30S (MPH) LOOK TO
BE COMMON WITH GUSTS IN THE 30S AND 40S (MPH) AROUND BIG TIMBER
AND HARLOWTON. AS FAR AS 50 MPH WINDS GO, THE CHANCE ON MONDAY IS
A BIT BETTER AROUND BIG TIMBER AND HARLOWTON AT 50 PERCENT.
TUESDAY INTO THE WEEKEND WILL SEE TEMPERATURES GRADUALLY RETURN
NEAR TO SLIGHT ABOVE NORMAL WITH MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS UNDER
GENERAL RIDGING ALOFT. WEDNESDAY EVENING INTO THURSDAY MORNING, A
FAST MOVING SHORTWAVE TROUGH LOOKS TO TEMPORARILY BREAK DOWN THIS
RIDGE, BUT INCREASED WINDS LOOK TO BE THE ONLY IMPACT AT THIS
TIME. ARENDS
AVIATION
BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL SPREAD ACROSS ALL TERMINALS TODAY, WITH
GUSTS OF 20-40KTS (HIGHEST ALONG THE BEARTOOTH AND MELVILLE
FOOTHILLS, INCLUDING KLVM, K6S0, AND K3HT).
ISOLATED TO SCATTERED RAIN SHOWERS ARE FORECAST ACROSS THE LOWER
ELEVATIONS THIS MORNING, BEFORE DRIER CONDITIONS PREVAIL THROUGH
THIS EVENING. SNOW SHOWERS WILL KEEP THE MOUNTAINS OBSCURED FOR
MUCH OF THE PERIOD. THE CHANCE FOR SHOWERS WILL INCREASE TONIGHT,
ACROSS THE LOWER ELEVATIONS, WITH THE BEST CHANCE AROUND KLVM,
KBHK, AND KSHR. MATOS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 057 037/049 030/050 029/058 034/054 033/058 043/065
1/N 33/W 00/U 00/B 10/B 00/B 12/W
LVM 051 029/044 021/047 025/059 029/054 030/056 040/062
2/N 54/J 10/U 01/B 10/B 00/B 22/W
HDN 059 035/049 029/050 024/059 031/053 028/059 039/064
1/B 35/W 10/U 01/B 10/U 00/B 22/W
MLS 059 037/051 032/050 024/056 032/053 028/058 039/063
1/B 34/W 20/U 00/B 10/U 00/B 11/B
4BQ 059 039/049 031/046 025/055 033/052 030/058 039/062
1/B 45/W 20/U 00/U 00/U 00/B 12/W
BHK 059 033/050 027/048 020/052 027/052 026/055 032/061
1/N 55/W 20/U 00/U 00/U 00/B 11/N
SHR 059 031/046 023/045 020/059 028/052 026/058 034/063
1/B 36/W 20/U 00/U 10/U 00/B 12/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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