Incredible heat scorched Montana on Friday, breaking record highs for the day. Some cities were within a few degrees of their hottest temperature ever recorded. Some of the hottest readings in the state were Libby at 110, Troy and Trout Creek at 109, Malta at 107, and even East Glacier hit 96. That’s hot! The heat will continue into the weekend, and the fire danger will become even higher. An EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING has been issued for eastern Montana for Saturday, with highs near 110. A HEAT ADVISORY continues for central and northern areas as highs will again top out around 105. A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for most of the state as some of the worst fire weather conditions of the year will develop Saturday. A cold front will approach the state which will increase the wind. Humidity values will be down to as low as 4%. Expect Montana fires to rapidly grow, with the possibility of new fires remaining extremely high as well. Complicating the matter will be a few isolated thunderstorms over the western and central areas. Sunday will slowly turn cooler with highs in the 80s and 90s. However the wind will remain problematic with speeds upwards of 20mph. Once again, existing wildfires will likely grow and emit more smoke. Air quality will be an issue this weekend. Sunday night, the wind will ease up and the temperatures will fall into the 40s and 50s for most of the state. Some of the normally colder spots will dip into the 30s by Monday morning. Cooler temperatures will provide relief from the heat and the fire danger. Monday will be a pleasant day with light wind and cooler highs in the 70s and 80s.
Please use extreme caution with the heat and the fire danger. Have a great weekend.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
