Good Morning and Happy Friday! An upper-level ridge is going to be in control of our weather for at least the rest of July, which means you can expect lots of sunshine, widespread haze, mostly dry conditions, and hot temperatures.
Widespread haze is expected for at least the next week as westerly/southwesterly flow aloft continues to transport smoke from fires burning in Oregon and Washington into our area. The smoke will usually be aloft, just causing reduced visibility and filtered sunshine, but occasionally the smoke may be near the surface. The air quality will generally be in the “moderate” category, but at times it may be unhealthy for sensitive groups. How thick the haze is/how bad the smoke is will fluctuate from day to day.
It is going to be very hot over the next week as high temperatures are going to be in the 90s and 100s in most locations. The hottest temperatures are expected today and this weekend as highs in a lot of locations will be between 95° and 108°. If you are going to be outdoors at all, make sure you stay hydrated, wear sunscreen, wear light-colored and loose-fitting clothing, and seek shade as much as possible. Also, make sure you consistently check on those that are more prone to heat illnesses, including the young, the old, and your pets. An EXTREME HEAT WARNING is in effect for all of eastern Montana and a lot of north-central Montana from this morning through Sunday evening and a HEAT ADVISORY is in effect for portions of north-central and south-central Montana, including the Helena area, from this morning through Sunday evening.
Widespread breezy conditions are expected today as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible. This weekend, the wind won’t be as widespread, but it will continue to be breezy in a lot of areas with 10-25 mph sustained winds and 30-40 mph gusts. The strongest wind this weekend will be in western portions of north-central Montana.
This wind coupled with hot temperatures and low relative humidity will really elevate the fire danger, so please do your part to not start any new fires. A RED FLAG WARNING is in effect for north-central Montana from 10am today until 9pm tomorrow and for northeastern Montana from 10am until 9pm today.
Today it is going to be mainly sunny and dry. Tomorrow, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening, generally in locations east of I-15. A few of the thunderstorms that develop later tomorrow may be severe. Damaging winds (58+ mph) will be the main hazard, but heavy rainfall and medium to large-sized hail is also possible, so keep an eye to the sky if you will be outdoors at all. Lots of sunshine and mainly dry conditions are then expected Sunday through at least next Friday. As a reminder, the sunshine over the next week will be a hazy sunshine due to wildfire smoke.
Stay cool and have an awesome weekend!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
