Good Morning and Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend! Smoke from wildfires burning throughout the Pacific Northwest returned to the state yesterday and will be sticking around for at least a couple of days, although today will be the worst of it. Today, there is going to be widespread haze, with areas of smoke around. The air quality will generally be in the “moderate” category, but may be in the “unhealthy for sensitive groups” category at times. The haze/smoke will diminish some tonight. Tomorrow, it will be a bit hazy and the air quality should mainly be in the “good” or “moderate” categories.
It was another hot weekend as highs were in the 90s in a lot of locations, but cooler and more comfortable temperatures are expected for the beginning of this week as highs today and tomorrow are going to be in the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s in most locations. There is also going to be a breeze around today along the eastern half of the Hi-Line as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Elsewhere, it is just going to be a little breezy today. There is then going to be a bit of a breeze around in some areas tomorrow afternoon and evening as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
The cloud cover will increase as we go through today, so it will become partly to mostly cloudy for the afternoon and evening. A stray shower/storm is possible in northeastern Montana this afternoon/evening, but most locations will remain dry. Tonight, it is going to be partly to mostly cloudy and a few spotty showers are possible. Tomorrow will be mostly to partly cloudy, with the skies clearing out some later in the day. A few spotty showers/storms are possible tomorrow, but most locations will remain dry.
Some monsoonal moisture will work its way back into the state for the middle and end of the week, primarily impacting central Montana, including the Helena and Lewistown areas. Around Helena, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny from Wednesday through Friday and there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around each afternoon and evening, especially in the mountains. In north-central Montana, it is going to be mostly sunny from Wednesday through Friday and there will be some isolated showers and thunderstorms around each afternoon and evening, generally in southern portions of north-central Montana.
The temperatures will warm back up for the middle and end of the week. On Wednesday, highs are going to be in the 80s and low 90s. It is then going to be hot Thursday and Friday as highs are going to be in the 90s and upper 80s. A few spots may even get into the triple digits on Friday. There will only be a little breeze around on Wednesday and Thursday. Breezy conditions are then expected in a lot of areas on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
This weekend will be sunny, dry, and hot as highs are going to be in the 90s in a lot of locations, with a few spots topping out in the 100s. Gusty winds are expected on Saturday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. The wind will diminish some for Sunday, but it will still be breezy as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph. Due to the wind, the fire danger will be elevated this weekend, so please do your part to not start any new fires.
Have a great Monday!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
