A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for northeast Montana for dangerous fire weather conditions. Low humidity, warmer temperatures, gusty wind and the fact that the fine fuels (grasses) are dry. Friday will not be a good day for prescribed burns or slash pile burning across the state. However, Friday will be a good day for being outside. It’s been nearly half a year since some towns have hit 70 degrees. Much of Montana east of the Continental Divide will warm into the low to mid 70s. West wind will be a bit breezy, gusting up over 30mph again. A cold front will move into the state late in the day triggering isolated thunderstorms around the Capital, Great Falls and out to Lewistown. While this front may not produce the biggest fireworks on Friday, it will certainly play a role in the weekend weather. The front will stall out over the state Saturday, making for a cloudy/rainy day for much of central and southern Montana. A stalled front means it is not moving too quickly, and rain will persist. Unfortunately the front will linger into Easter Sunday. As temperatures cool, snow will mix in with some rain early Sunday morning. Easter Egg hunts may need to be inside early on, but slow clearing will take place through the morning into the afternoon. Areas of rain and snow will move out by noon, with sun increasing through the day. Next week will be mainly dry with sunshine and warmer temperatures in the 70s again by midweek.
Have a nice day!
Curtis Grevenitz
