632 FXUS65 KBYZ 310257 AFDBYZ Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Billings MT 757 PM MST Tue Dec 30 2025 .KEY MESSAGES... - Gusty winds (35 to 55 mph) continue over the foothills west of Billings through Wednesday. Minor travel impacts due to crosswinds along I-90 around Livingston to Big Timber and US-191 from Big Timber to Harlowton. - Warmer and dry weather continues through the second half of the week. - Periods of light snow look to return to the south and west slopes of the Absaroka-Beartooth Mountains Friday into the weekend. Plains remain mostly dry. && .UPDATE... Gusty but not strong SW-W winds are occurring along the western foothills. Despite a 14mb IDA-LWT gradient as of 02z and cold-ish air up in YNP, mid level winds are light and flow aloft is northwesterly, and thus we are seeing gusts mostly 30-45 mph so far (LVM reached 50 mph briefly last hour). Mesoanalysis shows the area of greatest pressure falls shifting east of the foothills, as expected, and a weak surface low will track eastward through southeast MT tonight. Thus we may see highest gusts from Springdale to Big Timber northward to Harlowton as the night wears on. Overall, we are looking at a small risk (10-20% chance) of gusts reaching 60 mph. Also, a backdoor Canadian front associated with a weak shortwave moving through central SK will shift winds to the N then E over our east on Wednesday. High res models show some fog/stratus advecting into northeast MT and western ND, and this may or may not reach the NE corner of our cwa tomorrow. Something to watch. Baker could see impacts beginning by 18z. The wind shift itself will definitely not reach the western foothills but it may get close to Billings by midday. Temps tomorrow will thus range quite a bit from east to west, from the mid 30s to low- mid 50s. Highs at Billings and Sheridan could get close to daily records for Dec 31. JKL && .DISCUSSION... Today through Monday... Warmer and dry conditions will continue into the second half of the week under persistent northwesterly flow aloft. Within this northwesterly flow, occasional disturbances will drop southeast out of Canada into the northern plains, clipping far eastern Montana. This will keep temperatures cooler in the east with highs in the 30s to lower 40s, while persistent downslope winds over south-central Montana and northern Wyoming keep temperatures warmer in the 40s and 50s. Along with the warmer and dry conditions, gusty winds will continue over the foothills west of Billings this evening into Wednesday, strongest around Livingston to Nye and Big Timber to Harlowton. While these winds have backed off a bit this afternoon, the ingredients favoring stronger gusts (40 to 55 mph) are expected to return this evening into tonight. An isolated gust to 60 mph is even possible, but chances remain lower around 20 to 40 percent, greatest around Livingston to Nye where a strong pressure gradient exists. While winds look to decrease during the day Wednesday, breezy conditions look to continue Wednesday night into Thursday morning over the foothills. Therefore, those with travel plans along Interstate 90 from Livingston to Big Timber or Highway 191 from Big Timber to Harlowton should be prepared for gusty crosswinds at times today into Thursday. Late this week, Pacific moisture, courtesy of another atmospheric river impacting the west coast, will try to advect into our area. While this will likely bring periods of light snow to the south and west facing slopes of the Absaroka- Beartooth Mountains, the chance of precipitation across the rest of the area is minimal due to mid-level convergence and subsidence. Saturday into Sunday, a bit stronger wave may move into our region, temporarily ending the subsidence. While a few members of each ensemble forecast suggest light precipitation is possible during this time (15 percent chance or less), the model consensus remains just increased cloud cover. Will have to see how things trend. This Saturday into Sunday system will also bring the chance of strong crosswinds back to the western foothills Friday night into Saturday morning. Currently, the Livingston to Nye area has a 40 percent chance of seeing 60 mph wind gusts Friday night into Saturday morning. Arends .AVIATION... Gusty SW-W winds will persist along the western foothills tonight into Wednesday, with 30-45kt gusts at KLVM-K6S0-KHWQ. Gusts in this area will decrease to 20-30kts tomorrow. KBIL will see 20-30kt gusts tonight as well. Otherwise, VFR will dominate the next 24 hours under strong high pressure aloft, with scattered to broken high clouds. One item to watch is a Canadian backdoor front which will bring a shift to light N-E winds east of KBIL on Wednesday. There is a small risk (25%) of low stratus eking into far southeast MT and impacting KBHK by ~18z. There is a lower probability (10%) of stratus getting as far west as KMLS, but this will be monitored. The much greater risk of stratus/fog is over northeast MT and western ND. JKL && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS... Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue ----------------------------------------------------------- BIL 034/050 032/049 033/051 037/056 033/051 030/049 029/049 00/N 00/B 00/E 00/B 01/B 00/B 01/B LVM 035/051 032/050 034/051 037/053 032/047 029/045 028/045 00/N 00/N 00/B 01/N 11/N 11/B 11/B HDN 024/047 025/044 028/048 030/054 030/050 027/047 026/047 00/U 00/B 00/E 00/B 11/B 01/B 11/B MLS 023/037 021/037 019/036 025/046 030/047 027/045 024/043 00/U 00/B 00/E 00/B 10/B 00/U 01/B 4BQ 027/047 027/045 026/046 030/052 032/050 028/047 026/045 00/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 10/B 00/U 01/B BHK 021/034 017/036 015/038 023/047 026/045 023/042 021/040 00/B 00/U 00/E 00/B 10/B 00/U 01/B SHR 025/053 027/050 029/049 030/054 027/049 024/047 023/046 00/U 00/B 00/B 00/B 11/B 00/B 11/B && .BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... MT...None. WY...None. && $$ weather.gov/billings