BOZEMAN – Critical fire weather conditions will impact most of Montana and especially SW Montana over the next couple of days.
The combination of hot, dry conditions along with isolated to scattered dry thunderstorms and on top of that a cold front with increasing surface wind gusts. All this means new fire starts are likely both human caused fires and lightning caused fires.
Area of greatest concern for dry thunderstorms will be Dillon, Butte, Helena, and Missoula with isolated dry thunderstorms from West Yellowstone, Bozeman to Great Falls Wednesday.
A mostly dry cold front will push through on Thursday producing increasing surface wind gusts that will produce higher fire danger and could cause existing wildfires to grow.
A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued from Wednesday afternoon to Wednesday evening with the dry thunderstorms moving into SW Montana.
Good news is once this cold front has pushed through a cooler temperature pattern is coming by Friday and into the weekend.
