There is going to continue to be some haze around this weekend, and this haze is due to smoke from wildfires burning throughout the Pacific Northwest, including here in Montana. This haze will reduce the visibility some and it will cause minor impacts to the air quality as the air quality will be in the “moderate” category at times. If you are near or downwind of any of the wildfires burning in western Montana, then it may be smoky and the air quality may be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” at times this weekend.
Here is the weekend forecast:
An upper-level ridge will be in complete control of our weather this weekend, which means we are going to have beautiful weather for the final weekend of September, outside of the haze. Tonight, we are going to have mainly clear skies, with the cloud cover increasing a little bit after midnight. Tomorrow, we are going to have partly to mostly sunny skies around and west of I-15 in north-central Montana and mostly sunny skies around Helena and east of I-15 in north-central Montana. The cloud cover that is around tomorrow will decrease as we go through the afternoon and evening. Mainly sunny skies are then expected on Sunday. It is also going to be dry all weekend.
Lows tonight are going to be in the 40s and low 50s in north-central Montana and the mid to upper 30s and low to mid 40s around Helena. Tomorrow will be warmer than today was as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s. On Sunday, highs are going to be in the 70s and 80s, with the coolest temperatures along the Rocky Mountain Front and the warmest temperatures in northeastern Montana.
The wind will die down this evening across the plains, with little to no wind overnight. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be windy tonight as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 20 and 35 mph, and gusts over 50 mph are possible. Tomorrow will be a breezy day for the Rocky Mountain Front as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and wind gusts over 40 mph are possible. East of the Rocky Mountain Front, it is going to be a little breezy tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph, with the strongest wind along the eastern half of the Hi-Line and in/around Cascade County. There is then just going to be a little breeze around in all areas on Sunday.
On Monday, we are going to have partly to mostly sunny skies with a few isolated showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon/evening, generally in the mountains. It is also going to be warm again on Monday as highs are going to be in the 80s and upper 70s.
A disturbance will pass through our area on Tuesday, so we are going to have partly to mostly cloudy skies and there will be a few showers and isolated thunderstorms around later in the day, generally in central Montana and in western portions of north-central Montana. It is also going to be a bit cooler on Tuesday as highs are going to be in the 70s and low 80s in most locations.
We are then going to have partly cloudy skies from Wednesday through Friday. Most locations will remain dry on these three days, but there will be a few isolated showers around each day, especially in the mountains. Cooler temperatures are also expected on these three days as highs are going to be in the 70s and upper 60s on Wednesday, and the mid to upper 60s and low to mid 70s on Thursday and Friday. There is also going to be a breeze around on Wednesday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph, and it is going to be a little breezy on Thursday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
