7 Day Forecast
The relatively mild winter Billings had seen heading into this week is buried now beneath the more than a foot of snow that has fallen since Monday morning.
The city is now at 28.5 inches of snowfall on the season, putting it 2 inches above average, according to the National Weather Service in Billings. In a given winter season Billings typically gets about 55 inches.Â
Billings had about 6.5 inches on the week before snow began falling Wednesday morning. Snow continued well into the night, bringing a total of 6.7 inches at the airport and 6.5 on the West End, NWS reported.
Since Monday about 36 inches of snow fell on the Red Lodge Mountain ski area, the alpine sports business reported on social media. Of that snowfall, 17 inches of it fell over a 24-hour period beginning Wednesday. Â
Billings commuters and others who were out and about Thursday morning experienced temperatures at or below zero with the wind chill expected to drop down to minus 20. Thursday's high is expected to reach 29. The temperature was zero at the airport and minus 4 on the West End, said NWS meteorologist Bob Setzenfand, speaking at about 8 a.m.
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NWS issued a windchill advisory Wednesday morning for Fallon and Carter County due to potential for wind chill temperatures as low as minus 25.
Trace amounts of snow from the Wednesday weather system were last measured falling just before 5 a.m. Thursday. The snowfall total exceeded forecasts that had predicted between 2 and 4 inches.
That may have been caused by up-slope winds coming out of the Yellowstone Valley that can prolong snowfall, said NWS meteorologist Bob Setzenfand.
At 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday snow was falling at a rate of about an inch an hour, Setzenfand said. As snow continued, cold air filtering into the area, especially aloft, produced a fluffier snow than the wet, heavy snow that fell Monday, Setzenfand said.
Friday could see light snow showers in the afternoon into the evening — "a quick light system," Setzenfand said.
Billings could also get more snow Sunday afternoon and Sunday night.
Billings School District 2 says some school buses will operate on alternate routes through Thursday due to road conditions.