Area Forecast Discussion
Issued by NWS Billings, MT
Issued by NWS Billings, MT
447
FXUS65 KBYZ 180912
AFDBYZ
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Billings MT
312 AM MDT Sat Oct 18 2025
.KEY MESSAGES...
- Strong winds of 45-60 mph expected for the Livingston and
Beartooth foothills areas late this evening through early
afternoon Sunday.
- Frontal passage Sunday afternoon and evening will bring
scattered showers and breezy conditions.
- Breezy conditions expected again for Monday with 40-60% chance
for gusts of at least 40 mph along the western foothills and
Dakotas border.
- Conditions turn warmer and drier Tuesday through Friday.
&&
.DISCUSSION...
Today through Thursday...
Currently, a frontal passage associated with a low pressure system
in Canada is making its way through southeast MT. This will give
way to breezy conditions today, with the highest gusts to be found
over eastern MT (30-40 mph) and 20s over the remainder of the
region. Into this evening, another period of gap winds across the
western foothills is forecasted through Sunday morning. Chances
for strong winds looks best for the Livingston/Nye areas with
about a 80% chance for at least 50 mph and about a 50% chance for
gusts to 60 mph. As a result an wind advisory has been issued for
the Livingston and Nye area for 6 pm this evening through 3 pm
Sunday. An additional area to be aware of for breezy conditions is
locations along the Clarks Fork where a tight pressure gradient
will create wind gusts 35-45 mph out of the south/southwest. Mid
day Sunday, another frontal passage will break up this pattern and
bring scattered showers and gusty winds. Some isolated
thunderstorms cannot be ruled out with small amounts of
instability with the front. Around 4-8 inches of snow is forecast
for the highest elevations of the Absaroka/Beartooths, with up to
a couple inches in the Bighorns.
Into Monday, strong subsidence behind the low will create another
day favorable for breezy conditions. Gusts 25-40 mph will be
common, with the best chance for 40 mph being along the western
foothills and MT/Dakotas border (40-60%). Monday evening a tight
pressure gradient sets up over the western foothills once again,
but 700 mb winds don`t look to be as strong (25-30 kts), allowing
for gusts in the 40s (mph) to be common.
A mix of ridging and zonal flow look to set up for the latter half
of the week keeping conditions generally dry with above average
temperatures. High temperatures through the week will be in the
50s and 60s with the coolest days being today and Monday. TS
.AVIATION...
A quick moving system will keep a chance (20-30%) chance for
showers/localized MVFR conditions in the forecast through sunrise
this morning. Expect mountain obscuration over the southern
mountains/passes. As the sun rises precipitation will diminish
over southern/eastern zones and VFR conditions will prevail
through Saturday evening. West/Northwest winds will gust 20 to
30kts at times today, tapering off around sunset this evening.
Gap winds will develop over the western foothills this evening,
including KLVM/K6SO, where southwesterly gusts will increase to
40kts around 06z. Chambers
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS...
Tdy Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri
-------------------------------------------------------
BIL 055 039/065 041/054 034/060 038/063 041/065 045/069
1/U 25/W 41/N 00/U 00/B 00/U 00/B
LVM 053 035/059 031/051 028/060 033/063 036/064 040/067
0/U 29/W 61/N 00/B 00/B 00/B 00/B
HDN 055 032/064 038/054 029/060 034/064 035/067 039/070
1/U 15/W 73/W 00/U 00/B 00/B 00/B
MLS 053 032/063 038/052 029/060 034/063 036/067 041/072
0/U 04/W 41/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B
4BQ 051 033/067 039/050 030/060 035/062 037/065 040/071
0/U 02/W 71/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B
BHK 053 028/065 035/050 026/058 032/062 035/066 039/071
0/N 01/B 50/N 00/U 00/U 00/U 00/B
SHR 051 028/068 031/051 025/060 032/063 034/065 036/070
2/N 01/B 83/W 00/U 00/B 00/U 00/B
&&
.BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Wind Advisory in effect from 6 PM this evening to 3 PM MDT
Sunday FOR ZONES 65-66.
WY...None.
&&
$$
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