650
FXUS65 KBYZ 191714
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1014 AM MST FRI DEC 19 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY WILL CONTINUE TO BRING STRONG, ERRATIC,
AND POTENTIALLY DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO THE MOUNTAINS AND
FOOTHILLS THIS MORNING.
- STRONG GAP WINDS WILL CONTINUE OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS THIS
MORNING.
- COLD FRONT THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING ENDS STRONG WIND THREAT
AND BRINGS A BAND OF PRECIPITATION (RAIN TRANSITIONING TO SNOW)
THROUGH THE AREA. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS FOR THE FOOTHILLS
EXPECTED. IMPACTS TO THIS EVENING'S COMMUTE POSSIBLE.
- PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL OVER THE ABSAROKA-
BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS INTO SATURDAY. ADDITIONAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS
OF 6 TO 12 INCHES FORECAST, GREATEST ON SOUTH AND WEST ASPECTS.
UPDATE
THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR FALLON COUNTY HAS BEEN CANCELLED
AS THE MIXED PRECIPITATION THREAT HAS COME TO AN END.
STRONG MOUNTAIN WAVE AND GAP WINDS CONTINUE OVER THE MOUNTAINS
AND FOOTHILLS THIS MORNING. WITH THIS, THE HIGH WIND WARNINGS IN
EFFECT REMAIN IN GOOD SHAPE. BY THIS AFTERNOON, A COLD FRONT IS
EXPECTED TO END THE HIGH WIND THREAT AND BRING A BAND OF RAIN/SNOW
TRANSITIONING TO ALL SNOW THROUGH THE AREA. WITH THIS, LITTLE HAS
CHANGED FROM THE PREVIOUS DISCUSSION. IMPACTS TO THE EVENING
COMMUTE REMAIN POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS
WHERE UPSLOPE ENHANCEMENT WILL ALLOW FOR A PERIOD OF MODERATE TO
HEAVY SNOWFALL. GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS BEHIND THE FRONT WILL ALSO
ALLOW FOR AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW, WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY
FURTHER AT TIMES. THE POSTED WINTER WEATHER ADVISORIES FOR THE
BEARTOOTH/RED LODGE FOOTHILLS AND THE FOOTHILLS ON THE EAST SIDE
OF THE BIGHORNS IN EFFECT FROM LATE THIS AFTERNOON THROUGH
MIDNIGHT TONIGHT REMAIN IN GOOD SHAPE. ARENDS
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH THURSDAY...
A VERY ACTIVE WEATHER PATTERN CONTINUES OVER THE REGION. STRONG
WINDS HAVE SPREAD OUT ONTO THE FOOTHILLS OVERNIGHT, WITH MOUNTAIN
WAVE INDUCED WINDS FOR AREAS IMMEDIATE TO THE MOUNTAINS. LATEST
IDA-LWT GRADIENT IS SITTING AT 20MB, WITH 700MB WINDS PROGGED AT
50-70KT. WINDS HAVE GUSTED INTO THE 70S TO AROUND 80 MPH NEAR
LIVINGSTON, WITH 50S TO 60S ELSEWHERE OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS.
PERSONAL WEATHER STATIONS NEAR RED LODGE AND DAYTON HAVE REPORTED
WIND GUSTS INTO THE LOW 60S MPH, AND RECENTLY THE POMPEY CREEK DOT
STATION ON I-90 OVER SOUTHERN SHERIDAN COUNTY REPORTED A GUST TO
70 MPH. THE STRONG WINDS WILL CONTINUE THROUGH THE MORNING, WITH
GUSTY WINDS SPREADING INTO CENTRAL AREAS (30-45 MPH). A WARM FRONT
LIFTING THROUGH THE AREA HAS BROUGHT THE THREAT FOR MIXED
PRECIPITATION ACROSS FAR EASTERN MONTANA THROUGH THIS MORNING.
THE FREEZING RAIN THREAT IS GREATEST OVER FALLON COUNTY, WHERE WE
HAVE ISSUED A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY, IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS
MORNING.
A COLD FRONT DROPPING IN FROM THE NORTH THIS AFTERNOON AND
EVENING WILL END THE STRONG WIND THREAT ACROSS THE AREA AND WILL
BRING A BAND OF RAIN/SNOW TRANSITIONING TO ALL SNOW THROUGH THE
AREA. WHILE THIS BAND LOOKS TO BE PRETTY FAST MOVING, IMPACTS TO
THE FRIDAY EVENING COMMUTE ARE POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY ALONG THE
SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS WHERE UPSLOPE ENHANCEMENT WILL ALLOW OR A
PERIOD OF MODERATE TO HEAVY SNOWFALL. GUSTY NORTHERLY WINDS WILL
BRING BLOWING SNOW AS WELL, WHICH COULD REDUCE VISIBILITY FURTHER. AS
FAR AS SNOWFALL AMOUNTS GO, MOST OF THE AREA WILL ONLY SEE A
DUSTING TO LESS THAN AN INCH OF SNOW. HOWEVER, THE FOOTHILLS
ALONG THE BEARTOOTH FRONT (INCLUDING RED LODGE), AND THE FOOTHILLS
OF THE BIGHORNS/PRYORS COULD SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW. HAVE ISSUED
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR THE BEARTOOTH/RED LODGE FOOTHILLS
AND THE FOOTHILLS ON THE EAST SIDE OF THE BIGHORNS FROM LATE THIS
AFTERNOON THROUGH MIDNIGHT TONIGHT.
OVER THE ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS A STEADY STREAM OF PACIFIC
MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO BRING SNOW THROUGH SATURDAY. THE WINTER
STORM WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH EARLY SATURDAY MORNING REMAINS IN
GOOD SHAPE AS 1 TO 2 FEET OF SNOW, MAINLY ON WEST AND SOUTH
FACING SLOPES, IS FORECAST. WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 75 MPH COULD
ALSO RESULT IN WIDESPREAD BLOWING SNOW IMPACTS.
COOLER CONDITIONS CAN BE EXPECTED BEHIND THE FRONT FOR SATURDAY,
WITH HIGHS IN THE 30S AND 40S. MAINLY ZONAL FLOW WILL CONTINUE
INTO NEXT WEEK WITH ABOVE NORMAL TEMPERATURES CONTINUING. PACIFIC
MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE STREAMING INTO THE REGION AT TIMES
BRINGING PERIODS OF MOUNTAIN SNOWFALL TO THE WESTERN ASPECTS.
INCREASED WINDS WILL SPREAD INTO THE FOOTHILLS AT TIMES. STP
AVIATION
STRONG WINDS AND PERIODS OF LOW-LEVEL WIND SHEAR WILL CONTINUE TO
IMPACT AIRPORTS ACROSS SOUTH- CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTHERN
WYOMING THIS MORNING, INCLUDING KLVM, KSHR, AND KBIL. ALONG THE
FOOTHILLS AROUND KSHR AND KRED, EXPECT WINDS TO BE MORE ERRATIC
WITH THE ONGOING MOUNTAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. OTHERWISE, A COLD FRONT
PASSAGE THIS AFTERNOON AND EARLY EVENING WILL SHIFT WINDS OUT OF
THE NORTHWEST, ENDING THE STRONG WIND THREAT. HOWEVER, BREEZY
WINDS WILL REMAIN BEHIND THE FRONT. THIS FRONT WILL ALSO BRING A
BAND OF RAIN/SNOW TRANSITIONING TO SNOW THROUGH THE AREA. WITH
THIS, MVFR TO IFR CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE UNDER SNOW, WITH BRIEF
LIFR CONDITIONS WHERE BLOWING SNOW OCCURS NEAR THE FOOTHILLS.
MOUNTAINS WILL BE OBSCURED AT TIMES THROUGH TODAY. BY LATE
TONIGHT, THE PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED TO COME TO AN END ACROSS
THE AREA.
AMD NOT SKED AT KLVM DUE TO AN ASOS POWER OUTAGE. ARENDS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 057 027/042 026/041 032/054 031/048 031/054 029/048
6/S 50/U 01/E 12/R 21/E 01/B 11/B
LVM 051 021/036 021/042 033/050 032/050 036/051 031/049
9/O 60/U 02/O 45/O 32/R 13/R 32/O
HDN 057 023/041 020/041 028/053 029/047 028/054 025/047
6/R 70/U 00/B 12/R 10/B 01/B 11/B
MLS 047 017/034 018/037 026/046 026/043 026/046 024/040
4/O 20/U 00/B 01/E 10/E 00/B 11/B
4BQ 055 024/038 021/041 029/053 029/049 031/056 029/047
3/R 80/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 00/B 11/B
BHK 050 014/030 015/041 023/046 023/043 023/049 024/040
5/O 30/U 00/B 00/E 10/E 00/B 10/B
SHR 058 017/038 015/041 026/052 027/050 030/056 026/049
3/N 81/U 00/B 01/B 00/B 00/B 11/B
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ZONES 56-65-66-138-141-169-171-172.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 2 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
MIDNIGHT MST TONIGHT FOR ZONES 56-66.
HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ZONES 63-228.
WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 5 AM MST SATURDAY FOR
ZONE 67.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
MIDNIGHT MST TONIGHT FOR ZONE 138.
WY...HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ZONES 198-199.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 5 PM THIS AFTERNOON TO
MIDNIGHT MST TONIGHT FOR ZONE 199.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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