Some say if it’s too hot, get out of the kitchen, and that’s exactly what some Montanans were doing on Saturday as they headed outdoors to find a spot to cool down.
FUN IN THE SUN - CHECK IT OUT:
Saturday was the hottest day of the year so far with temperature highs into the 90s - a heat wave that came especially early this year, which means outdoor spots like Holter Lake are seeing an early influx of visitors.
Park Ranger Sienna Figg says Saturday is the busiest day they’ve seen at Holter Lake so far this year, an above average rush for this early in the year.
Figg noted, “We're full up on parking already and it's not even noon. I remember last year, even on Memorial Day, it was not nearly this busy."
With weather 10 to 20 degrees above normal for this time of year, many took the opportunity to get the summer activities started early.
Will Mounce was one recreator who brought his boat out early, saying, “It's the first time out this year. Took the boat out, the water's nice. It's about 60 degrees out there."
Some pools and water parks, like Electric City Water Park in Great Falls, won’t be opening for a few more days, so a few made the trip from Great Falls to cool off in the water.
One of them was Kyle Faulkner, who said, “I looked at the weather and saw it was going to be a great time to get up here and enjoy some of this water and sunshine. You know, you just get real warmed up, and then when it's time, you just get back in."
It’s not just locals looking to cool down - Jody Robert came from Missoula, where a severe heat advisory was in effect for most of Saturday.
She said, “Never been here before, so we figured we'd give it a try and have some fun on a hot day. Just staying cool, I jumped in the water once."
While the weather is expected to cool down a bit this upcoming week, Montana is expected to have above average heat throughout the summer months.
