678
FXUS65 KBYZ 260638
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
1238 AM MDT THU MAR 26 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- COOLER AND BREEZY CONDITIONS TODAY WITH MOUNTAIN SNOW AND
SCATTERED RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS.
- MOUNTAINS COULD SEE A FEW INCHES OF SNOW THROUGH THIS EVENING,
WITH LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS CONFINED TO THE IMMEDIATE
FOOTHILLS AND HIGHEST HILLS OVER THE LOWER ELEVATIONS.
- WARM & DRY AGAIN THIS WEEKEND, WITH POTENTIAL FOR BREEZY
CONDITIONS OVER THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS LATE IN THE WEEKEND.
- CONDITIONS MAY BECOME MORE UNSETTLED NEXT WEEK.
DISCUSSION
THROUGH WEDNESDAY...
BEHIND THE INITIAL COLD FRONT THIS PAST EVENING, A REINFORCING SHOT
OF COLDER AIR IS WORKING SOUTH EARLY THIS MORNING BRINGING BREEZY
NORTHERLY WINDS. EXPECT THE SHOWER COVERAGE TO INCREASE INTO THE
MORNING HOURS (30-80% CHANCE, GREATEST OVER THE WEST AND SOUTH), AS
AN ASSOCIATED SHORTWAVE SLIDES IN FROM THE WEST/NORTHWEST BRINGING A
REINFORCING SHOT OF FRONTOGENESIS AND MOISTURE. SHOWERS WILL LINGER
INTO THE AFTERNOON OVER THE SOUTH AND EAST AS THE WAVE TRACKS EAST
THROUGH MONTANA, WITH MOST SHOWERS ENDING BY THE EVENING.
PRECIPITATION AMOUNTS WILL RANGE FROM A TRACE TO A FEW HUNDREDTHS TO
A TENTH OR TWO FOR SOME AREAS, WITH THE GREATEST POTENTIAL OVER THE
SOUTHERN MOUNTAINS AND NEARBY FOOTHILLS. A FEW INCHES OF SNOW CAN BE
EXPECTED IN THE MOUNTAINS, WITH LIGHT ACCUMULATIONS OVER THE HIGHEST
HILLS IN THE LOWER ELEVATIONS (5-20% CHANCE OF AN INCH OF SNOW).
GIVEN THE WARM SURFACE TEMPERATURES, ROADS WILL LIKELY REMAIN WET TO
AT THE MOST SLUSHY IN PLACES THIS MORNING. HIGHS IN THE 40S TO LOWER
50S ARE FORECAST TODAY, WITH DRIER CONDITIONS MOVING IN FROM THE
NORTH AND WEST DURING THE AFTERNOON. BREEZY NORTHWEST WINDS WILL
SPREAD OVER THE AREA WITH WIND GUSTS OF 20 TO 40 MPH POSSIBLE, WITH
LOCALLY HIGHER GUSTS IN THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS. TEMPERATURES WILL
DROP INTO THE TEENS TO 20S TONIGHT (LOWEST TEMPERATURES IN A WEEK
AND A HALF).
ENSEMBLES REMAIN IN GOOD AGREEMENT FRIDAY AND THROUGH THE WEEKEND IN
WARMER AND DRIER CONDITIONS AS UPPER RIDGING BUILDS OVER THE REGION.
HIGHS LOOK TO RANGE FROM THE UPPER 40S TO 50S ON FRIDAY, TO THE 60S
TO LOWER 70S SATURDAY. A MAINLY DRY BACKDOOR COLD FRONT WILL
KNOCK TEMPERATURES BACK A FEW DEGREES SUNDAY AND MONDAY, WITH
HIGHS IN THE 60S TO NEAR 70 DEGREES. WINDS LOOK TO REMAIN LIGHT
OVERALL THROUGH MUCH OF THE WEEKEND, WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR SOME
INCREASED WINDS ALONG THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS IN THE SUNDAY/MONDAY
TIMEFRAME. LOOKING AHEAD TO TUESDAY/WEDNESDAY, THERE IS A LOT OF
UNCERTAINTY AS UPPER TROUGHING BEGINS MOVING INTO THE WEST. A
POTENTIALLY COOLER AND UNSETTLED PATTERN MAY EVOLVE DURING THIS
TIMEFRAME WITH MODERATE CHANCES FOR PRECIPITATION. STP
AVIATION
COLD FRONT MOVING THROUGH THE REGION THIS EVENING. SHOWER ACTIVITY
AND AREAS OF STRATUS (MVFR/IFR) WILL BECOME MORE NUMEROUS AS WE
GET TOWARD SUNRISE. NORTHERLY WIND GUSTS WILL ALSO PERSIST A BIT
LATER INTO THE OVERNIGHT, WITH GUSTS IN THE 20 TO 30KT RANGE
COMMON. PERIODS OF RAIN/SNOW ARE EXPECTED FROM AROUND 09Z THROUGH
17Z OR SO AT MOST TAF LOCATIONS WITH VISIBILITIES DOWN TO 2SM AND
CEILINGS IN THE TEENS TO LOW 20S. BY MID DAY WEST TO NORTHWEST
WINDS WILL INCREASE AND DOWNSLOPE WILL DIMINISH PRECIPITATION
AREAS AND LIFT STRATUS TO VFR LEVELS, EVENTUALLY DISSIPATING LOW
CEILINGS ALTOGETHER HEADING INTO THE LATE AFTERNOON/EARLY EVENING.
GUSTY WINDS GENERALLY DIMINISH AFTER 02Z THIS EVENING, BUT MAY
PERSIST INTO THE LATE EVENING OVER SOUTHERN ZONES INCLUDING KSHR.
CHAMBERS
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY FRI SAT SUN MON TUE WED
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 051 026/059 036/073 040/067 038/070 039/055 029/044
5/W 00/U 00/B 00/B 12/W 44/W 45/W
LVM 049 021/057 034/069 041/069 041/068 039/054 028/044
5/J 00/U 00/B 00/B 12/W 45/W 55/W
HDN 054 022/058 030/074 036/069 036/072 037/058 027/048
6/W 00/U 00/B 00/U 11/B 44/W 55/W
MLS 048 019/052 031/069 037/064 036/067 036/053 026/041
4/W 00/U 00/B 00/B 11/B 33/W 34/J
4BQ 049 022/054 035/072 039/068 039/070 040/058 028/045
6/W 10/U 00/U 00/U 00/B 22/W 44/W
BHK 043 015/048 028/066 035/062 032/062 034/052 023/040
5/W 20/U 00/B 00/B 11/B 32/W 33/J
SHR 046 019/054 030/070 036/069 036/072 038/060 027/043
8/W 10/U 00/B 00/U 01/B 23/W 55/W
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...NONE.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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