Temperatures on Wednesday hit 93° in Great Falls, the warmest since July 9. Today it'll get even hotter as many areas climb into the mid to upper 90s. Northeastern Montana is starting the day with scattered showers and a few thunderstorms, but the rest of the day will be dry across the entire area as high pressure controls today's weather.
Check out my forecast to find out when we'll cool down:
The wind will ramp up this afternoon out of the west-southwest. The Rocky Mountain Front and Glacier county will see the strongest winds, with sustained winds between 15 and 30 mph and gusts up to 50 mph. The plains will see wind speeds between 10 and 25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph today.
The combination of wind and low humidity will increase fire danger across the region. However, north-central Montana has benefited from summer rains and thunderstorms, maintaining good soil moisture, so no fire alerts have been issued. Southwest Montana has had a drier summer, and a Red Flag Warning is in effect for Wednesday, with a Fire Weather Watch in place for Thursday. This includes southern portions of Jefferson County, including Boulder and Basin.
Later tonight into Thursday morning a cold front will trek south across the state, bringing more comfortable temperatures on Thursday, highs in the 70s and low 80s in central Montana, and mid-80s in Helena. This will be a mostly dry cold front, though an isolated shower or two move over the Canadian border into the Hi-Line early Thursday morning.
Heading into Friday, a few isolated showers and thunderstorms are possible, but most areas will stay dry, with temperatures reaching the upper 70s and low to mid 80s. A warm and pleasant weekend is ahead, with temperatures warming into the 80s and low 90s. There is a chance of some isolated showers and thunderstorms Sunday evening, but most of the weekend will remain dry.
