BOZEMAN – High impact weather event hits Montana Wednesday in the form of extreme heat, gusty winds, and very low humidity.
For those reasons a RED FLAG WARNING covers every square inch of Montana from Noon to midnight Wednesday. This means new wildfires are likely and this means human caused fires are very likely. Everyone please use common sense and be extremely careful with all outdoor activities on Wednesday.
Another reason of concern is forecast highs between 90 and 105 degrees Wednesday afternoon and early evening. That type of heat has a HEAT ADVISORY up across Montana east of the divide from noon to 8 pm. Again, use common sense and don’t overexert yourself to avoid heat related illnesses.
A strong cold front will arrive by Thursday morning. Ahead of the front look for a strong surge of heat and stronger surface wind gusts. Wednesday afternoon peak wind gusts 20 to 50 mph are possible over SW Montana and stronger gusts in high wind prone areas.
Hot, dry and windy conditions over the next 24 hours will bring increased wildfire smoke as active fires will be burning more aggressively Wednesday into Thursday.
Next topic is a sharp drop in temperatures by Friday with most of the state falling a good 30 degrees or more compared to Wednesday. Some forecast highs are as low as the upper 50s Friday afternoon and morning lows Saturday could drop down to or slightly below freezing.
