618
FXUS65 KBYZ 271605
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1005 AM MDT MON OCT 27 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TODAY. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
POSSIBLE OVER THE FOOTHILLS AND HIGHER HILLS OF SOUTHEASTERN
MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING.
- BREEZY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS TODAY. GUSTS 20 TO 45 MPH,
STRONGEST OVER THE FOOTHILLS WEST OF BILLINGS.
- MOSTLY DRY CONDITIONS RETURN TUESDAY. PERIODS OF WIND THROUGH
THE WEEK, MAINLY WEDNESDAY AND SATURDAY/SUNDAY.
UPDATE
RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS WERE SLIDING EAST ACROSS THE AREA THIS MORNING,
WITH LIGHT SNOW VISIBLE AT TIMES ON WEBCAMS OVER PORTIONS OF THE
WESTERN FOOTHILLS. EXPECT RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS TO CONTINUE AT TIMES
THROUGH THE AFTERNOON. HAVE UPDATED TEMPERATURES, POPS AND WIND
TO CURRENT OBSERVATIONS AND LATEST TRENDS THROUGH TODAY. STP
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
COOL AND BREEZY CONDITIONS WILL PREVAIL TODAY AS ANOTHER COLD
FRONT MOVES THROUGH THE REGION. WITH THIS, LOOK FOR HIGH
TEMPERATURES TO BE IN THE 40S TO LOWER 50S WITH WEST TO
NORTHWESTERLY WIND GUSTS OF 20 TO 40 MPH, STRONGEST OVER THE
FOOTHILLS WEST OF BILLINGS.
ALONG WITH THE COOL AND BREEZY CONDITIONS, SCATTERED TO
WIDESPREAD SHOWERS ARE FORECAST TODAY. AT THIS TIME, THE BEST
CHANCE OF SEEING MEASURABLE PRECIPITATION IS OVER FAR SOUTHERN
MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING THIS MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AS A
WAVE OF ENERGY, AND ASSOCIATED PRECIPITATION, LIFT NORTH AND EAST
INTO THE REGION (20 TO 80 PERCENT CHANCE, GREATEST NEAR AND OVER
THE MOUNTAINS). BEHIND THIS INITIAL PUSH, AND THE COLD FRONT
PASSAGE, ISOLATED TO SCATTERED INSTABILITY SHOWERS ARE FORECAST
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING UNDER THE UNSTABLE NORTHWEST FLOW
ALOFT. BY LATER THIS EVENING INTO TONIGHT, THE MAJORITY OF THE
PRECIPITATION LOOKS TO COME TO AN END, BUT A FEW LIGHT SHOWERS MAY
LINGER INTO THE NIGHT (10 PERCENT CHANCE OR LESS). WITH REGARDS
TO PRECIPITATION TYPE TODAY, ALL SNOW IS EXPECTED OVER THE
MOUNTAINS, WITH A RAIN/SNOW MIX TO ALL SNOW FORECAST OVER THE
FOOTHILLS. OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS, MOSTLY RAIN IS FORECAST WITH
SNOW LEVELS AROUND 4,000 FEET, HOWEVER, HEAVIER SHOWERS MAY
TEMPORARILY REDUCE SNOW LEVELS TO ALLOW SOME OF THE HIGHER HILLS
TO SEE RAIN/SNOW TO ALL SNOW. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE OVER FAR
SOUTH-EASTERN MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING THIS MORNING, SO
RECREATIONISTS AND TRAVELERS SHOULD STAY ALERT. AS FAR AS SNOWFALL
AMOUNTS GO, LITTLE TO NO ACCUMULATION IS EXPECTED OVER THE
PLAINS, WITH ONLY LIGHT ACCUMULATION POSSIBLE OVER THE FOOTHILLS
(GENERALLY LESS THAN 1 INCH). OVER THE MOUNTAINS, ANOTHER 2 TO 6
INCHES ARE FORECAST, GREATEST IN THE ABSAROKA- BEARTOOTH AND
BIGHORN MOUNTAINS. THEREFORE, THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE
BIGHORN MOUNTAINS REMAINS IN GOOD SHAPE. AS FAR AS RAINFALL
AMOUNTS GO OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS, AROUND A TRACE TO A TENTH OF
AN INCH IS FORECAST OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA, WITH AN
ADDITIONAL 0.2 TO 0.50 INCHES OVER FAR EASTERN MONTANA.
TUESDAY HAS TRENDED A BIT COOLER UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF AN UPPER
LEVEL TROUGH, SO HIGH TEMPERATURES ARE FORECAST TO REMAIN IN THE
40S TO LOWER 50S THAT DAY. BY LATE TUESDAY INTO WEDNESDAY, UPPER
LEVEL RIDGING WILL BRING DRY AND SLIGHT WARMER TEMPERATURES BACK
TO THE REGION. WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON INTO THURSDAY MORNING, A FAST
MOVING SHORTWAVE TROUGH LOOKS TO TEMPORARILY BREAK DOWN THE RIDGE.
WITH THIS, WIND LOOKS TO BE THE ONLY IMPACT, WITH THE CHANCE OF
PRECIPITATION REMAINING VERY LOW. GENERALLY QUIET CONDITIONS
SHOULD PERSIST THURSDAY THROUGH FRIDAY BEFORE ANOTHER POTENTIAL
WEATHER SYSTEM MOVES IN FOR THE WEEKEND. AT THIS TIME, ENSEMBLES
AND LOCAL GUIDANCE ARE SUGGESTING THIS WEEKEND SYSTEM MAY BE
PRETTY WINDY, SO THIS IS SOMETHING TO WATCH. ARENDS
AVIATION
PERIODS OF LOW ELEVATIONS RAIN SHOWERS AND MOUNTAIN SNOW CONTINUE
INTO THIS EVENING THEN TAPER OFF TONIGHT. A RAIN/SNOW MIX IS
EXPECTED AT TIMES FOR ALL TERMINALS, WITH A SWITCH OVER TO ALL
SNOW AT TIMES AT KLVM. EXPECT PERIODS OF MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS IN
THE SNOW SHOWERS. LOOK FOR GUSTY WEST TO NORTHWEST WINDS (GUSTING
25 TO 32 KTS AT TIMES) TO DEVELOP BY THIS AFTERNOON, PERSISTING
INTO THIS EVENING. MOUNTAINS WILL BE OBSCURED AT TIMES THROUGH THE
PERIOD.
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 050 030/048 028/058 031/052 029/055 041/063 042/056
3/W 20/U 00/B 00/U 00/B 12/W 32/W
LVM 044 021/046 024/059 026/052 026/056 038/061 039/055
2/J 20/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 22/W 32/W
HDN 048 027/049 023/058 028/052 026/054 035/063 039/056
5/W 20/U 00/B 10/U 00/B 12/W 43/W
MLS 051 032/049 025/054 032/052 027/052 033/061 040/056
2/W 10/U 00/B 00/U 00/B 11/B 21/B
4BQ 046 030/046 024/053 032/050 029/051 033/061 041/054
6/W 20/U 00/B 00/U 00/U 01/B 22/W
BHK 051 027/048 020/052 028/051 024/049 026/058 034/055
2/W 10/N 00/B 00/U 00/B 11/B 21/N
SHR 045 022/044 018/058 025/050 024/053 030/063 035/056
7/W 20/U 00/B 00/U 00/B 12/W 33/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 PM MDT THIS EVENING
FOR ZONE 198.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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