Wildfire activity and smoke continue to dominate the weather discussion, and the situation could get worse. A FIRE WEATHER WATCH is in effect for western Montana for Friday. Over the next couple of afternoons, isolated thunderstorms will add the element of lightning to the mix. New wildfire starts are likely even though these thunderstorms will have rain as well. Air quality continues to be less than ideal with all of the smoke and haze. An AIR QUALITY WARNING continues for northwest Montana, but areas east of the Continental Divide are also experiencing unhealthy air. Thursday will be hot and breezy with low humidity. Very isolated (meaning not a lot) thunderstorms will pop near the western mountains in the afternoon. These storms will need to be watched for lightning strikes and new wildfire starts. Friday, a wave of low pressure will move into southwest Montana in the afternoon with scattered, more numerous thunderstorms. These storms will produce lightning but also rain. In fact, heavy rain is possible with these storms Friday night into Saturday morning. Saturday will be partly to mostly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. The clouds will keep the temperature down some and the humidity up a bit. Sunday will be another day with with scattered thunderstorms with lightning strikes but also the possibility of heavy rain. A few storms will linger into Monday and Tuesday as well.
Please use extreme caution to not trigger new wildfires.
Have a nice day.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
