Thankfully the rain from Sunday has really helped the wildfire situation here in Montana. Even though there have been wicked winds and extremely dangers fire conditions the last few days, most of the fires have not shown significant growth. However, the Richard Spring fire in southeast Montana has blown up to 150,000 acres in only a few days. The good news is the wind will die down for most of the state, but temperatures will be heating up through the weekend. Thursday will be sunny and dry with highs in the 80s. The wind will ease up, coming from the east at only 5-10mph. A monsoon high will redevelop sending heat back across Montana for Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Highs will be way up in the 90s and a few locations may even reach 100. A few isolated monsoon thunderstorms could push through with lightning strikes on Saturday and Sunday. Sunday will be hot and windy with another big wildfire day likely, similar to last weekend, and wildfires could explode. Next week, it is likely that another wet and cool storm system will impact much of Montana. While the fire danger will start off high on Monday, many locations could be looking at a repeat of last Sunday's rain and cooler temperatures. The switch in weather may continue for several days, allowing more relief for the fire fighting efforts. The rest of August does not look as hot as July, with several cooler airmasses coming through.
Have a great day.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
