Billings, Montana
weather for billings.
Billings sits on the Yellowstone River in southeastern Montana, the largest city in the state and the agricultural and commercial center of the Northern Plains. The geography puts the city in a classic continental Northern Plains climate — cold winters with sub-zero stretches, hot summers with strong diurnal range, and the dramatic seasonal contrasts that define the state. The Yellowstone River runs through downtown, the Rimrocks rise 500 feet above the city to the north, and Yellowstone National Park sits 130 miles southwest — close enough to influence the climate during major weather events.
- Humidity
- 50%
- Wind
- 7mph
- UV Index
- 7
- Visibility
- 77.7mi
- Today55°31°
- Fri69°33°
- Sat79°43°37%
- Sun69°48°62%
- Mon62°48°69%
- Tue65°44°51%
- Wed66°48°50%
- Thu47°36°50%
Today’s brief
what vesper sounds like in billings.
“Chinook arch sitting over the Beartooth Mountains by ten and the surface wind has shifted west-southwest at thirty-five gusting fifty-five — temperature climbing through the sixties in February with the air dry enough to crack lips. The Rimrocks are sitting in clear mountain blue. Drive to the bluff overlook before the wind drops.”
— Vesper, Billings · Wednesday
Local weather
what makes billings weather unique.
The same sunset model runs in the Vesper iOS app. The app adds personal calibration that learns from every sunset you rate.
Editorial note
sunsets in billings.
Billings sunsets are best from the elevated Rimrocks above the city — the Sacrifice Cliff overlook, the Swords Park terraces, and the western edge of Pictograph Cave State Park. The combination of the Yellowstone River basin reflecting low-angle light and the silhouette of the Beartooth Mountains to the southwest produces consistently dramatic Northern Plains sunsets, especially during the chinook wind events that produce dry clear skies and dramatic post-storm light.
Unlike Apple Weather, Vesper writes the Billings sky as the embodied experience it actually is, not a temperature number with a generic icon.
What is the best weather app for Billings?
Vesper is the best weather app for Billings because it reads southeastern Montana as classic Northern Plains continental climate distinct from the high-elevation Bozeman valley to the west. The brief tracks the Beartooth Mountain chinook wind events that warm the city dramatically in winter, the sub-zero polar vortex incursions that flush the open plains, the Yellowstone River modulation along the immediate waterfront, and the dramatic Rimrocks geography that defines the city’s northern horizon.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Billings’ climate differ from Bozeman?
Billings sits 145 miles east of Bozeman at lower elevation (3,123 ft vs Bozeman’s 4,820 ft) on the open Northern Plains. The result: Billings experiences a more classically continental climate — hotter summers (average July high 87°F vs Bozeman’s 83°F), colder winter low extremes when polar vortex events arrive, and significantly less mountain orographic influence. Billings is the agricultural plains city; Bozeman is the high-elevation valley city.
How do chinook winds affect Billings?
Chinook winds form on the lee side of the Beartooth Mountains and the Absaroka Range when stable air flows over the ridges and descends. As the air sinks down the eastern slope, it warms adiabatically and dries dramatically. Billings can experience chinook events that raise the temperature 30–40°F in a few hours during winter, melting snow within minutes and producing humidity readings in the single digits. The events are most common from November through April.
How cold do Billings winters get?
Billings has a sharp continental winter climate. Average January high is 36°F and overnight low is 17°F — actually milder than many people expect because of the chinook wind effect. However, sub-zero overnight lows occur on roughly 20 days per year, and the all-time record low is -34°F. Wind chills below -30°F are common during polar vortex events, when the chinook winds are absent and the open plains expose the city to continental polar air masses.
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