509
FXUS65 KBYZ 272256
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
356 PM MST SAT DEC 27 2025
KEY MESSAGES
- COLD FRONT BRINGS SCATTERED SNOW AND FALLING TEMPERATURES TODAY.
TRAVEL COULD BE IMPACTED BY POOR VISIBILITY AND SLICK ROADS,
ESPECIALLY ALONG THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS.
- SUBZERO WIND CHILLS IN EASTERN MONTANA TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY.
- THE PROLONGED SNOW IN THE ABSAROKA-BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS GRADUALLY
COMES TO AN END TONIGHT.
- WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS, WITH PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS,
RETURN NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH FRIDAY...
A COLD FRONT ASSOCIATED WITH A LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM TO OUR NORTH
HAS BROUGHT GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS AND SNOW TO PORTIONS OF THE
REGION TODAY. WHILE THE WINDS ARE ALREADY DECREASING AND TURNING
OUT OF THE NORTHEAST OVER SOUTH-CENTRAL MONTANA WITH A SECONDARY
PUSH OF COLD AIR THIS AFTERNOON, LOOK FOR BREEZY WINDS TO CONTINUE
OVER THE PLAINS OF EASTERN MONTANA, EAST OF BILLINGS, THIS
EVENING INTO TONIGHT. AS FAR AS THE SNOW GOES, SNOW IS GRADUALLY
SINKING SOUTH AND EAST THROUGH SOUTHERN MONTANA AND NORTHERN
WYOMING THIS AFTERNOON, AND WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO THIS EVENING
BEFORE COMING TO AN END TONIGHT. WITH THIS, SNOW IS EXPECTED TO
LINGER THE LONGEST OVER THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS (BEARTOOTH AND
BIGHORN/PRYOR FOOTHILLS) WHERE UPSLOPE ENHANCEMENT IS IN PLACE DUE
TO THE NORTH TO NORTHEAST SURFACE WIND DIRECTION. WHILE SNOW
AMOUNTS ARE STILL EXPECTED TO REMAIN GENERALLY LIGHT, WITH AN INCH
OR LESS OVER MOST OF THE PLAINS AND 1 TO 3 INCHES ALONG THE
FOOTHILLS AND HIGHER HILLS NEAR THE MOUNTAINS, PERIODS OF REDUCED
VISIBILITY FROM FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW ALONG WITH SLICK ROADS
WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS OVER PORTIONS OF THE AREA
THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. WITH THIS, THE WINTER WEATHER
ADVISORIES FOR THE BEARTOOTH AND RED LODGE FOOTHILLS, AS WELL AS
THE SHERIDAN FOOTHILLS, SOUTHERN BIG HORN COUNTY, AND THE BIGHORN
CANYON IN EFFECT UNTIL 11PM MST THIS EVENING REMAIN IN GOOD SHAPE.
ALONG WITH THE WIND AND SNOW, TODAY'S COLD FRONT PASSAGE IS
USHERING IN MUCH COLDER AIR. WHILE THE COLDEST CONDITIONS WILL
EXIST WHERE THE WINDS CONTINUE, COLD CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
ACROSS THE AREA TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING WITH WIND CHILLS IN
THE SINGLE DIGITS TO 30 BELOW ZERO. WITH THIS, COLD WEATHER
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FROM 8PM MST TONIGHT TO 11AM MST SUNDAY
FOR CUSTER, CARTER, AND FALLON COUNTIES, AND NOW TO 11AM MST
SUNDAY FOR THE JUDITH GAP AREA. NORTHERN ROSEBUD COUNTY WILL ALSO
HAVE TO BE WATCHED AS INGOMAR, ANGELA, AND ROCK SPRINGS COULD SEE
WIND CHILLS APPROACHES 25 BELOW TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. WHILE
TEMPERATURES WILL WARM INTO THE 20S AND LOWER 30S OVER SOUTH-
CENTRAL MONTANA AND NORTHERN WYOMING SUNDAY, COLD TEMPERATURES
LOOK TO REMAIN OVER EASTERN MONTANA WHERE HIGHS IN THE SINGLE
DIGITS TO TEENS ABOVE ZERO ARE FORECAST. AFTER ANOTHER COLD NIGHT
SUNDAY NIGHT (LOWS IN THE TEENS ABOVE ZERO TO SINGLE DIGITS BELOW
ZERO, COLDEST IN EASTERN MONTANA), RISING HEIGHTS AND WESTERLY
WINDS WILL USHER IN WARMER TEMPERATURES FOR MONDAY (HIGHS IN THE
30S TO LOWER 40S).
NEXT WEEK IS EXPECTED TO BE MOSTLY WARM AND DRY AS UPPER LEVEL
RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE WESTERN UNITED STATES. WITH THE AXIS OF
THIS RIDGE TO OUR WEST, THIS LEAVES OUR AREA OPEN TO THE
OCCASIONAL WEAK SHORTWAVE TRAVERSING OVERTOP OF THE RIDGE. WHILE
THESE DISTURBANCES LOOK TO REMAIN MOSTLY DRY, THEY WILL
PERIODICALLY INCREASE WINDS, ESPECIALLY OVER THE WESTERN
FOOTHILLS. WITH THIS, NO STRONG WINDS ARE EXPECTED UNTIL MAYBE
FRIDAY MORNING AHEAD OF A POTENTIAL LATE FRIDAY INTO THE WEEKEND
WEATHER SYSTEM. ARENDS
AVIATION
THE SNOW AND WIND BEHIND TODAY'S COLD FRONT PASSAGE WILL
GRADUALLY TAPER OFF THROUGH THE EVENING INTO TONIGHT ACROSS THE
AREA. FOR WINDS, LOOK FOR THE GUSTY NORTHWEST WINDS TO HOLD ON THE
LONGEST OVER FAR EASTERN MONTANA. FOR SNOW, THE SNOW WILL LINGER
THE LONGEST OVER THE SOUTHERN FOOTHILLS, INCLUDING KSHR. WITH
THIS, MVFR TO IFR, WITH PERIODS OF LIFR, CONDITIONS REMAIN
POSSIBLE INTO AT LEAST THIS EVENING BEFORE VFR CONDITIONS PREVAIL
ACROSS THE AREA LATE TONIGHT INTO SUNDAY MORNING. LOOK FOR
MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS TO OCCUR THROUGH THIS EVENING AS WELL.
ARENDS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT
-----------------------------------------------------------
BIL 006/026 016/039 028/047 032/049 028/046 031/050 028/042
20/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 00/B 01/E 21/B
LVM 004/028 017/040 025/045 030/049 030/051 033/049 028/042
20/U 00/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 12/W 22/J
HDN 002/020 009/038 023/047 025/047 022/045 024/048 025/041
40/U 00/U 00/B 01/B 00/B 01/B 22/W
MLS 001/012 003/034 022/043 023/039 016/037 022/044 022/035
10/U 00/B 00/B 01/E 00/B 01/B 11/B
4BQ 003/014 006/037 024/045 027/046 021/043 024/047 025/039
40/U 00/B 00/B 01/B 00/U 01/B 11/B
BHK 905/005 903/030 018/040 020/032 011/029 014/042 017/034
30/N 00/B 00/B 11/E 10/U 00/B 11/E
SHR 902/022 006/039 020/045 025/050 024/049 027/050 022/042
80/U 00/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 01/B 22/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT FROM 8 PM THIS EVENING TO 11
AM MST SUNDAY FOR ZONES 32-33-37.
WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MST THIS
EVENING FOR ZONES 56-66-138-169.
COLD WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 AM MST SUNDAY FOR
ZONE 63.
WY...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 11 PM MST THIS
EVENING FOR ZONE 199.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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