A Red Flag Warning is in effect for all locations east of the Continental Divide from 11am Friday through 9pm Saturday. Strong winds and low relative humidity may allow any new and/or existing fires to grow and/or spread rapidly.
A High Wind Watch is in effect for locations along and just to the east of the Continental Divide from 9am until 9pm on Saturday. Sustained wind speeds for most of the day on Saturday are going to be between 20 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 65+ mph are going to be possible at times, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front.
It is going to be chilly tonight as lows are going to be in the upper 20s and low to mid 30s in most locations. There are also going to be areas of frost around tonight, so make sure you take the necessary precautions to protect any sensitive plants/vegetation that you may have. We are also going to have increasing clouds tonight, especially after midnight.
For tomorrow and Saturday, high fire danger is expected as we are going to have breezy/windy conditions, low relative humidity, and mild/warm temperatures. It is going to be breezy tomorrow, especially during the afternoon and evening, 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. It is then going to be windy on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 15 and 35 mph, and wind gusts up to 65+ mph are going to be possible at times, especially along the Rocky Mountain Front. The relative humidity values over the next two days are also going to be less than 20% in most locations. The temperatures are also going to warm up some over the next two days as highs tomorrow are going to be in the 70s in most locations, and highs on Saturday are going to be in the upper 70s and low to mid 80s in most locations.
We are also going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies tomorrow with some isolated rain showers around, mainly during the afternoon and evening. We are then going to have increasing clouds with a few isolated rain showers around on Saturday. Southwesterly flow aloft is also going to allow some haze and smoke to return to our area for tomorrow and Saturday, and the air quality at times over these two days may be unhealthy for sensitive groups.
On Sunday, we are going to have developing rain throughout the day as a storm system begins to approach our area. This rain will develop from the southwest towards the northeast, so locations in southwestern and south-central Montana will see the rain first, while locations in north-central Montana will see the rain later in the day. Once the rain does start, expect it to stick around for the rest of the day. Some higher elevation snow is also possible on Sunday.
Valley rain and mountain rain/snow is then likely Sunday night, and valley rain and mountain rain/snow showers are likely on Monday as this storm system passes through our area. Light to moderate snow accumulations are possible in the mountains. In the valleys, rainfall totals will vary from a tenth of an inch to over an inch, depending on your exact location. Locations along the Hi-Line will likely see the least amount of precipitation, while locations in south-central and southwestern Montana will likely see the most precipitation. Some sleet and/or graupel may also mix in with this rain at times in the lower elevations.
It is also going to be a lot cooler on these two days as highs are only going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations. There is also going to be a little bit of a breeze around on both of these days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Mostly to mainly sunny skies and dry conditions are then expected on Tuesday and Wednesday as an upper level ridge is going to be in control of our weather. The temperatures are also going to warm up some over these two days as highs on Tuesday are going to be in the mid to upper 60s in most locations, and highs on Wednesday are going to be in the low to mid 70s in most locations. It is also going to be breezy on Tuesday and Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph.
