A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect until 9pm Thursday for a lot of Montana. Hot temperatures, gusty to strong winds, and low relative humidity are going to allow new fire starts and current wildfires to grow rapidly. Please do your part to not start any new fires!
A HIGH WIND WARNING is in effect for Glacier County, northern Lewis and Clark County, Liberty County, Pondera County, western Teton County, and Toole County from 6am/12pm until 9pm Thursday. Sustained wind speeds are going to be between 25 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are going to be possible at times.
A HEAT ADVISORY is in effect for eastern Montana from 10am/12pm until 9pm/10pm Thursday. It is going to be hot on Thursday as highs are going to be between 97˚ and 104˚.
The wind is going to diminish this evening and then there is just going to be a little breeze around tonight in locations east of the Rocky Mountain Front. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be breezy this evening and tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. It is also going to be mild tonight as lows are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations. We are also going to have areas of smoke and thicker haze around tonight in spots due to the smoke plumes from the Elmo fire and the Moose fire. Outside of the smoke and haze, you can expect mainly clear skies tonight.
For tomorrow, we are going to have increasing clouds with a chance of showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon and evening in locations east of I-15 as a disturbance begins to pass through our area. We are also going to have gusty to strong winds around tomorrow, especially during the afternoon and evening, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 60 mph are going to be possible at times along and just east of the Rocky Mountain Front, while wind gusts up to 50 mph are going to be possible everywhere else. The wind tomorrow is also going to be coming out of the WSW. We are also going to have a wide range of high temperatures tomorrow as highs are going to range from the 80s along/near the Rocky Mountain Front to the low 100s in eastern Montana, with most locations topping out in the 90s.
Also, due to the gusty to strong winds, the hot temperatures, and the low relative humidity, we are going to have extremely high fire danger tomorrow, so please do your part to not start any new wildfires as all new fire starts and currently burning wildfires are going to be difficult to contain. There are also going to continue to be areas of thicker haze and smoke around tomorrow due to the smoke plumes from the Elmo and Moose fires.
Cooler temperatures are then expected on Friday and Saturday as highs are going to be in the 70s and 80s. We are also going to have less wind around on these two days, although it is still going to be breezy on Friday 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, especially along the Hi-Line. The wind on Friday is also going to be coming out of the north.
We are also going to have increasing clouds with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms on Friday, and we are going to have partly cloudy to mostly sunny skies with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms around on Saturday, generally in locations east of I-15, as an upper-level trough is going to be in control of our weather.
Lots of sunshine and dry conditions are then expected on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. The temperatures are also going to warm up some over these three days as highs on Sunday are going to be in the upper 80s and low to mid 90s; highs on Monday are going to be in the 90s; and highs on Tuesday are going to be in the mid to upper 90s and low 100s.
There are then going to be some isolated showers and thunderstorms around Wednesday afternoon and evening as some monsoonal moisture works its way into our area. We are also going to have partly cloudy skies and hot temperatures on Wednesday as highs are going to be in the 90s.
