BOZEMAN – The extreme heat wave has reached its peak today and temperatures will begin to cool down slowly Friday.
There are numerous HEAT ADVISORIES up across Montana Thursday afternoon into Thursday evening. Both side of the divide will be in the upper 90s to low 100s for max temperatures today. Record highs are very likely across the state, and this could easily be the hottest day of the year.
The current High-pressure ridge will begin to break down Friday as a Pacific cold front begins to enter the Pacific NW. Also, a large plume of monsoonal moisture is lifting up the backside of the current High-pressure ridge and will begin to produce isolated thunderstorms this afternoon with a few again Friday afternoon. By the weekend a cooler NW flow aloft combined with increasing monsoonal moisture from the south will produce a more active weather pattern this weekend.
Saturday afternoon looks favorable for stronger thunderstorms to pass over SW Montana in the late afternoon hours.