A FLOOD WATCH continues for parts of eastern Montana through 2am tonight.
This coming weekend will be HOT. It will easily be the hottest weekend of the year so far, and may be the hottest weekend of the entire year when all is said and done. A ridge builds this weekend, but weakens next week with moisture returning. The overall pattern is similar to last summer, with storm systems coming down at us from the northwest, knocking down the 4-corners high. This high pressure has not developed much yet this summer. So long term trends would place this weekend as a bit of an anomaly. I know there's a lot of summer left, and August can be quite hot. But I see more of a pattern that will keep us from extreme heat. Until then, we've got a few thunderstorms still impacting the state. Some of these storms will continue tonight for mainly eastern Montana. Wednesday will have scattered afternoon and evening thunderstorms in western and central areas, with storms late evening across far eastern Montana. Highs will be in the 70s and to near 90. The storms will dry up on Thursday as it will be mostly sunny and windy, with highs in the 80s to near 90. The heat will start building for Friday and the weekend. The hottest temperatures so far this year will move in this weekend. Most of Montana will have highs in the 90s. Some of southern and eastern Montana will hit 100. Please prepare for this heat now, as to make sure you and kids and pets and livestock will be cool. When 2026 is all said and done, this weekend could be the hottest weekend of the entire year. Thunderstorms are likely to return Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, bringing some relief from the heat.
Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
