A RED FLAG WARNING has been issued for Phillips and Valley Counties through Tuesday evening.
AN AIR QUALITY ALERT is in effect for Ravalli, Granite and Silver Bow Counties.
A cold front will move through the state on Tuesday with scattered showers and thunderstorms, clouds and cooler temperatures that are a little unusual for July. Highs will mainly be in the 60s in the higher terrain, 70s in the lower elevations, but 80s to around 90 across far eastern Montana ahead of the front. Showers and thunderstorms will be scattered throughout the state from the morning through the evening. This system will clear Tuesday night. Wednesday will be more typical of the time of year as it's the last day of July. Highs will be in right around average in the 80s to near 90 under mostly sunny skies. Another round of hot weather will move across the state beginning on Thursday. Skies will be clear and a little smoky, high temperatures will reach the 90s for most of the state. Friday it gets even hotter as places like Missoula, Helena and Great Falls approach 100 degrees. Fortunately the wind does not appear very strong. Wildfire smoke from fires mainly outside of Montana will continue to impact air quality. Saturday will be another hot day with highs nearing 100 but a few isolated thunderstorms are possible in the afternoon. Sunday a cold front will move south from Canada with scattered thunderstorms and the beginning of a cooler airmass. Temperatures will still be hot with highs in the 90s, but the cooldown is coming. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely from Monday through Wednesday for a good part of Montana. Temperatures will be cooler than average into the first full week of August. Not that heat and fire danger are anywhere near being over, it will be nice to have a stretch of cooler and wetter than normal weather.
Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist