Marine Weather and Tide Forecast for Big Timber, MT

DISCUSSION

Today through Sunday...

Mostly dry conditions exist this afternoon under sunny to mostly sunny skies. Late this evening into tonight, cloud cover will begin to increase from the west as our next weather system approaches. Ahead of this weather system, a low level jet will bring breezy south-easterly winds (gust in the 20s and 30s mph) to eastern Montana tonight. With this, a few showers and weak thunderstorms are forecast over north-eastern Montana, but south- eastern Montana looks to remain dry.

Tuesday, the cold front associated with our next weather system will push through the area mid-day. This will bring breezy westerly wind gusts in the 20s and 30s mph to much of the area, with a period of stronger 40 to 50 mph wind gusts ahead of the front over the higher elevations of the Beartooth Mountains. This cold front will also bring isolated to scattered afternoon and evening showers and weak thunderstorms to the area. With this activity, limited instability (100-500 J/kg of CAPE) will limit the strength of any thunderstorm that develops over our area.
However, much better severe weather ingredients will exist east of our area in North Dakota and South Dakota, so if you have travel plans east of Montana Tuesday, make sure to stay weather aware.

Wednesday is setting up to be the windiest day of the week as increased mid-level winds and a decent surface pressure gradient set up over the area. With this, west to northwesterly wind gusts in the 20s to 40s mph look to be common, strongest over the foothills west of Billings where occasional gusts into the low 50s mph are possible (50 percent chance around Big Timber and 70 percent chance around Harlowton). Along with the wind, additional showers and weak thunderstorms are possible Wednesday mainly near the Montana and Wyoming state line (30 to 80 percent, greatest over the mountains and lowest over the plains of south- eastern Montana).

Thursday, an additional wave of energy will bring another chance of precipitation to much of the area, at least during the morning hours (low to moderate chance). While conditions look to dry out a bit Friday, another weather system looks to drop into the region Saturday into early Sunday, bringing an additional chance of precipitation to the area (low to moderate chance).

With the precipitation Tuesday into the weekend, cooler temperatures will favor snow showers over the higher elevations of the mountains at times (generally above 8000 feet). With this, some impacts to recreation and travel in the high country are possible. This includes travel over the highest elevations of the Beartooth Highway in the Beartooth Mountains and Highway 14 through the Bighorn Mountains. LA

AVIATION

Light showers will begin moving into south central MT after 03Z this evening, becoming more widespread through the daytime Tuesday. Around a 40% chance for thunderstorms exists at KLVM late Tuesday morning through the afternoon, with around a 20-30% chance for KBIL, KSHR, and KMLS. Mountain obscurations are also expected beginning after 06Z tonight. Breezy west to southwest wind gusts 25-35 kts are expected during the day Tuesday for areas west of Billings. TS

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMP/POPS

Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon ----------------------------------------------------------- BIL 054/076 050/068 047/073 048/078 052/070 048/069 049/072 03/T 31/N 30/N 00/U 13/T 33/T 22/T LVM 049/066 039/059 037/069 041/075 043/067 041/067 042/067 08/T 85/T 20/U 00/U 24/T 33/T 12/T HDN 052/079 048/069 044/073 045/077 049/070 045/069 046/071 03/T 41/N 51/B 00/U 12/W 33/W 22/T MLS 056/081 051/069 046/070 048/074 049/070 047/068 048/069 11/B 32/W 62/W 00/U 01/B 22/W 12/T 4BQ 059/083 050/068 045/069 048/076 050/071 047/067 047/069 13/T 33/W 32/W 00/U 12/W 33/W 12/T BHK 053/084 048/068 043/067 044/073 045/068 042/066 044/067 10/N 32/W 56/T 00/N 11/B 23/W 23/T SHR 050/078 043/064 039/069 041/076 047/068 041/065 042/068 14/T 47/T 32/W 00/U 14/T 44/T 24/T

BYZ WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
MT...None.
WY...None.