161
FXUS65 KBYZ 260938
AFDBYZ
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE BILLINGS MT
238 AM MST MON JAN 26 2026
KEY MESSAGES
- VERY STRONG CROSSWINDS IN FOOTHILL LOCATIONS TODAY. IMPACTS TO
HIGH PROFILE VEHICLES ON I-90 LIVINGSTON TO BIG TIMBER.
- MAINLY DRY WITH A STRONG WARMING TREND FORECAST THROUGH NEXT
WEEKEND. PERIODS OF GUSTY WINDS EXPECTED THROUGH THE WEEK.
DISCUSSION
TODAY THROUGH SUNDAY...
WEATHER SYNOPSIS...LARGE RIDGE ANCHORED OVER THE WEST COAST HAS
OUR REGION UNDER ANTI-CYCLONIC NW FLOW. THIS IS INDUCING LEE SIDE
PRESSURE FALLS AND SETTING UP A TIGHT PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER THE
FOOTHILLS AND PARADISE VALLEY.
IMPACT WEATHER...STRONG WIND GUSTS 50 TO 70 MPH WILL CONTINUE IN
OUR GAP AREAS THANKS TO THE AFOREMENTIONED PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER
OUR FOOTHILL LOCATIONS. STRONG 700 MB FLOW WILL MEAN WIND GUSTS TO
50 MPH AS FAR NORTH AS WHEATLAND COUNTY AS WELL. THUS FAR, WE
HAVE NOT OBSERVED ANY VISIBILITY ISSUES FROM BLOWING SNOW.
HOWEVER, DRIFTING SNOW MAY STILL PRODUCE ICY PATCHES AND THAT IS
OUR MAIN MESSAGE GOING FORWARD...STRONG WINDS AND ICY PATCHES IN
AND NEAR THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS. WINDS SHOULD BACK OFF LATE TODAY,
ESPECIALLY FROM BIG TIMBER TO HARLOWTON ALONG US-191. WINDS MAY
REMAIN ELEVATED IN OUR GAP LOCATIONS (LIVINGSTON/NYE) WITH GUSTS
25-40 MPH INTO TUESDAY.
FORECAST TRENDS...MODELS AND CLUSTER ANALYSIS CONTINUE TO INDICATE
HIGH PRESSURE ALOFT PREVAILING THE REST OF THE WEEK. THERE MAY BE
SOME MINOR PERTURBATIONS IN THE MID LEVEL FLOW THAT BRING US SOME
VIRGA OR ISOLATED MOUNTAIN SNOW SHOWERS, BUT NOTHING SUBSTANTIAL.
WEAK BACKDOOR INTRUSIONS OF COLDER AIR MAY IMPACT THE EASTERN
STATE LINE ZONES LATER IN THE WORK WEEK PRODUCING SOME FLURRIES
OR LIGHT SNOW (10-30% CHANCE), BUT THE DOMINANT DOWNSLOPE WIND
PATTERN WILL KEEP DRY AND MUCH WARMER CONDITIONS IN PLACE. SO LOOK
FOR MODERATING TEMPS TODAY RANGING FROM NEAR 40 WEST TO LOWER 20S
ALONG THE DAKOTA BORDERS...AND BY MIDWEEK ABOUT 10 DEGREES WARMER
WITH HIGHS NEAR 50 WEST TO NEAR 30 EAST. BY THE WEEKEND WE MAY
SEE MID 50S WEST TO LOWER 40S EAST. BILLINGS EVEN HAS A 50% CHANCE
OF SEEING 60 DEGREES NEXT WEEKEND. DUE TO DRY AND ABNORMALLY MILD
CONDITIONS WE WILL NEED TO MONITOR RANGELAND FIRE CONDITIONS
LATER IN THE WEEK.
AS IS TYPICAL WITH THIS TYPE OF MILD PATTERN, EXPECT PERIODS OF
BREEZY TO GUSTY WIND FOR THE WESTERN FOOTHILLS. BT
AVIATION
09Z DISCUSSION...
GUSTY WINDS THAT ARE ONGOING ARE LARGELY FORECAST TO CONTINUE
THROUGH THE DAY TODAY. KLVM WILL SEE THEIR STRONGEST WINDS
THROUGH 15Z WHERE SW GUSTS UP TO 60KTS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED AND
WILL CONTINUE. AT KBIL SW WINDS WITH GUSTS UP TO 35KTS REMAIN
POSSIBLE THROUGH 00Z. SOME LOCALIZED DRSN MAY CAUSE VERY MINIMAL
BRIEF VISIBILITY REDUCTIONS, HOWEVER ALL SITES ARE FORECAST TO
REMAIN VFR. KSHR/KMLS WILL REMAIN VFR WITH MINIMAL WIND GUSTS.
THERE IS A SLIGHT CHANCE (20%) THAT KSHR SEES A WSW GUST UP YO
35KTS BEFORE 15Z. WMR
PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS
TDY TUE WED THU FRI SAT SUN
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 039 023/044 026/046 029/050 031/050 036/055 033/054
0/N 10/B 00/E 00/B 01/B 10/B 00/B
LVM 040 024/044 026/045 026/047 030/048 034/050 032/052
0/N 00/U 00/E 00/B 00/E 00/B 00/B
HDN 040 017/043 017/046 026/049 027/051 032/054 028/053
0/U 10/B 00/E 11/B 11/B 11/B 00/B
MLS 032 010/030 013/036 020/039 022/041 029/049 026/047
0/U 10/B 00/E 11/B 11/E 11/B 00/B
4BQ 036 012/037 017/042 026/043 023/043 030/049 028/049
0/U 10/B 00/B 11/B 12/J 11/B 00/B
BHK 024 001/024 008/032 012/030 010/031 018/041 022/042
0/U 00/B 00/B 12/J 22/J 22/W 00/B
SHR 040 015/041 017/046 023/047 025/049 028/052 026/052
0/U 00/B 00/B 11/B 11/B 10/B 00/B
BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...WIND ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ZONES 65-66.
HIGH WIND WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 3 PM MST THIS AFTERNOON FOR
ZONES 141-172.
WY...NONE.
WEATHER.GOV/BILLINGS
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