It was a fairly cloudy and smoky day for Big Sky Country as wildfire smoke from Canada and Oregon mixed with cloud cover to create a gray day. With smoke coming from Canada and Oregon, the air quality is MODERATE for many towns in Montana. The cloud cover is moisture streaming up from the remnants of a tropical storm in the eastern Pacific. While there is a lot of cloud cover, there's little actual precipitation. There may be a sprinkle or two overnight and on Tuesday morning. The clouds will stick around for a lot of the state on Tuesday morning, but skies will become partly cloudy by the afternoon. A few isolated storms could hit around Helena and points south. Highs will be a little below normal in the 70s and 80s. Wednesday will have a little more sunshine and heat. Highs will top out in the 80s and low 90s. Thunderstorms will develop in southwest Montana and move northeast through the afternoon. It's likely that the Helena area sees some storms, and they may reach as far north as Great Falls later on Wednesday evening. Thursday will be partly cloudy with a few scattered thunderstorms developing in the afternoon and evening. Highs will warm up into the 80s and low 90s, typical for this time of year. Any thunderstorm activity with diminish Thursday night and we should not see any moisture for through Friday and the weekend. It'll be a hot, dry and windy stretch. The fire danger will be bad through the weekend, and wildfire smoke from Washington and Oregon will likely fill our skies. The Last Chance Stampede and Fair as well as the State Fair will be going on through the weekend, so make sure to stay cool and hydrated while out enjoying those events. The weekend will be sunny, hot and windy. Highs Friday through Sunday should be in the 90s to around 100. These are the dog days of summer!
Have a great day,
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
