An Air Quality Alert is in effect for all of Montana until at least 9 am on Monday as the air quality tonight is generally going to be in the “unhealthy category”. Smoky skies and poor air quality are also expected again tomorrow and tomorrow night, but a cold front is going to clear that smoke out of our area from northwest to southeast during the day on Tuesday.
For tonight, we are going to have mostly clear skies and mild temperatures as lows are going to be in the 60s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy this evening as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
We are then going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies tomorrow with a chance of a few rain showers and thunderstorms, generally during the afternoon/evening and generally in locations east of I-15, as an upper level disturbance passes through our area. It is also going to be hot again tomorrow as highs are going to be in the low to mid 90s in central Montana and the low 100s in eastern Montana. Breezy/windy conditions are also expected tomorrow, especially during the afternoon and evening, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 30 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times. A Red Flag Warning is also in effect until 12am Tuesday morning for locations east of the continental divide as new or currently burning wildfires may grow or spread rapidly due to the combination of low relative humidity, gusty winds, and hot temperatures.
A strong cold front is then going to pass through our area on Tuesday from the northwest to the southeast. This cold front is going to bring some much cooler air to our area as highs on Tuesday are going to range from the 60s and 70s in western Montana to the 80s and 90s in eastern Montana, and highs on Wednesday are only going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low 60s in most locations. Breezy conditions are also expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts up to 40 mph are going to be possible at times. Wind gusts up to 60 mph are also going to be possible for a brief period of time on Tuesday with the passage of the cold front.
This cold front and its associated storm system are also going to bring widespread precipitation to our area for Tuesday and Wednesday, with most of this precipitation occurring from Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday morning. Almost all locations in central Montana will pick up at least 0.25” of precipitation from this storm system, with many locations picking up at least 0.50” of precipitation. Some locations may also pick up over an inch of precipitation by the time this storm system leaves our area. Some snow is also going to be possible Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in the peaks of the Rockies.
We are then going to remain in a cooler and unsettled weather pattern for the end of the work week and next weekend. From Thursday through Sunday, high temperatures are generally going to be in the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s, and these high temperatures are over 10 degrees below average for this time of year. It is also going to be cool at night from Thursday night through Saturday night as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 40s and low 50s in most locations. We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies with a chance of rain showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday as a couple disturbances pass through our area. Sunday is then going to have mostly sunny skies with a few isolated rain showers and thunderstorms around.
