The summer heat has definitely arrived as temperatures hit the 90s on Monday. Havre and Cut Bank set new record high temperatures. In Havre, the temperature soared to 98°, after dropping to 43° in the morning—a remarkable 55° temperature swing between the low and high.
Highs on Tuesday will reach the low to mid 80s. Wildfire smoke has settled back into much of the Hi-Line and eastern Montana, and it will be around for the next couple of days. Air quality is expected to be mostly in the "moderate" or "unhealthy for sensitive groups" categories across most locations. At times, it could shift into the red zone or unhealthy for everyone. The smoke is primarily being drawn in from fires burning in Canada.
This afternoon, a few isolated showers and thunderstorms are expected to develop over the Continental Divide and track east through central Montana throughout the evening. Some storms could become severe, with risks including damaging wind gusts (58+ mph) and hail (1"+ in diameter).
We'll have a rinse and repeat pattern, with another round of showers and thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon and evening, this time a little further south. The hazards will remain the same: large hail, damaging winds, heavy downpours, and cloud-to-ground lightning.
The storm threat continues through Thursday and Friday, with temperatures cooling into the 60s and 70s. If you have weekend plans, be prepared for afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms. Temperatures climb again into the 70s and low 80s.
