Good Morning and Happy Tuesday! The Sand Creek fire in southwestern Montana continued to grow yesterday and breached the top of Maverick Mountain yesterday evening. It is unknown at this time if the fire caused any damage to the ski resort or Elkhorn Hot Springs, but we will keep you updated as we learn more. As of this morning, the Sand Creek fire has burned 19,683 acres and is only 1% contained. This fire will continue to grow today due to hot, dry, and breezy conditions. A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect for southwestern Montana from 12pm until 9pm today.
It is going to be another smoky day today for a lot of the state. The visibility will be reduced and the air quality at times may be unhealthy for sensitive groups or unhealthy for everyone. An AIR QUALITY ALERT is in effect for all of western and southwestern Montana through at least 9am this morning, but I do expect this alert to be extended. Outside of the haze/smoke, it is going to be mainly sunny and dry today.
It is also going to be warm again today as highs are going to be in the 80s and low 90s. Along the Divide/Rocky Mountain Front, it will be breezy later on today as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Elsewhere, there will just be a little breeze around during the day today.
The smoke will not be as bad tomorrow, although it will continue to be hazy. The air quality tomorrow will generally be in the moderate category, but may be unhealthy for sensitive groups at times. A cold front will bring cleaner air into the state from north to south as we head into tomorrow night and Thursday. It is also going to be partly to mostly cloudy tomorrow and there will be a few showers and thunderstorms around, generally during the late afternoon and evening.
There will be a little breeze around tomorrow as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph. The temperatures will also begin to cool down tomorrow as highs are going to be back in the 70s in most spots.
There will be scattered showers and thunderstorms around tomorrow night and Thursday. Thursday will be the wettest day that we have had in weeks. There is also going to be a breeze around in some areas tomorrow night as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Much cooler temperatures are also expected on Thursday as highs are going to be in the 60s and low 70s.
On Friday, it is going to be mostly cloudy and there will be some more scattered showers and thunderstorms around, generally around the Helena area, in the higher terrain, and in locations east of I-15 in north-central Montana. Highs on Friday will be in the mid to upper 60s and low 70s.
The temperatures will warm back up this weekend as another ridge begins to build back into our area. Highs on Saturday will be in the 70s and low 80s and highs on Sunday will be in the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s. On Saturday, there are going to be scattered showers and thunderstorms around the Helena area during the afternoon and evening and there will be a few showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening in north-central Montana. It is also going to be partly cloudy on Saturday. On Sunday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and there will be a few isolated showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening.
Have a tremendous Tuesday!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
