Hot temperatures continue throughout the week, with the hottest temperatures settling in for the weekend. Winds remain seasonably breezy this week, with winds picking up by the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
Strong and gusty winds are expected to develop Saturday night and persist into the day on Sunday along the Rocky Mountain Front, most notably across Glacier County. Travelers and recreationists should be prepared for strong crosswinds and other hazards due to the increasing winds, the National Weather Service said.
The heat and smoke you feel and smell isn't going anywhere.
That's according to meteorologists at the National Weather Service's Great Falls office, whose forecast shows persistent heat, elevated fire weather and smoky skies through at least the weekend.
The culprit is an upper level ridge — an elongated area of high pressure drawing warm air up from the south — that has persisted across Western states.
Smoke shrouds Mount Helena as people walk along a path at Centennial Park on July 28.
SONNY TAPIA, Independent Record
The ridge is expected to break down this weekend, which will cause high winds. But paired with temperatures near 100 degrees on Saturday, there is a higher risk of fire danger late Saturday and on Sunday.
The smoke that has driven the air quality in many parts of Montana to unhealthy conditions is coming from wildfires in Oregon and Washington.
Wildfire smoke from the Pacific Northwest will continue to affect the state through the week, the National Weather Service said.
NWS Great Falls
"Smoke will also be rather persistent this week, though the extent of the smoke will depend on how exactly the fires in Oregon and Washington behave," the NWS said in its forecast.
Most lower-elevation areas in central and southwest Montana will see temperatures in the 90s each afternoon through the week, with the heat peaking on Saturday, possibly in widespread triple-digit temperatures.
Hot temperatures continue throughout the week, with the hottest temperatures settling in for the weekend. Winds remain seasonably breezy this week, with winds picking up by the weekend, the National Weather Service said.
NWS Great Falls
Strong and gusty winds are expected to develop Saturday night and persist into the day on Sunday along the Rocky Mountain Front, most notably across Glacier County. Travelers and recreationists should be prepared for strong crosswinds and other hazards due to the increasing winds, the National Weather Service said.
NWS Great Falls
Thom Bridge is the Deputy Editor of the Helena Independent Record. Before that, he was a photojournalist with the IR and Montana State News Bureau.
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