A funnel cloud was spotted near Billings late Friday afternoon during a thunderstorm.

Spotted by members of the National Weather Service's Billings office, the cloud never touched down and dissipated after only about five minutes, said Todd Chambers, a meteorologist with the NWS in Billings. It was seen about six miles northwest of town from the airport in Billings.

The cloud was reported at 4:14 p.m., which caused the NWS to issue a severe-thunderstorm warning for central Yellowstone County. The warning was lifted about 20 minutes later after the storm weakened.

The funnel cloud was caused when the storm collapsed and "kicked out a gust of cooler air," Chambers said.

However, the storm did bring plenty of heavy rain in a short period. Only 0.05 inches were recorded at the airport, but Chambers said his office received unofficial reports of scattered pea-sized hail and nearly an inch of rain on the West End.

Much of south-central and Eastern Montana got sporadic, heavy rain and some gusty winds.

According to the NWS, Glasgow had wind gusts of up to 70 miles per hour and heavy rains beginning just before 7 p.m. Precipitation totals for the area were not available Friday night.

There is a 40 percent chance of thunderstorms and showers in the region today in the mid- and late afternoon, with high temperatures expected to be in the low and mid 80s.