AN EXCESSIVE HEAT WARNING will remain in effect until midnight for portions of central, southcentral, and southeast Montana.
A HEAT ADVISORY will remain in effect until midnight for portions of central and north-central Montana.
An AIR QUALITY ALERT is in effect for much of western and central Montana.
If you thought yesterday was hot, today is going to be even hotter. The ridge of high pressure that has been giving off excessive heat is expected to amplify, resulting in daytime highs soaring into the upper 90s and low 100s. Record highs will likely be set across the state. Wildfire smoke and cloud cover have the potential to hold daytime highs from reaching their peak. Wildfire smoke will also continue to impact the air quality. At 7 am several locations in western and southwest Montana, air quality was at an UNHEALTHY and UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS rate. The ridge will begin to shift eastward, allowing an unstable southwest flow aloft to bring monsoonal moisture with an isolated storm to move in from southwest Montana during the afternoon and track into portions of north-central Montana during the evening.
Wednesday will feature more clouds, cooler temperatures, and afternoon/evening showers, and thunderstorms. Showers and thunderstorms will help cool temperatures back into the 80s and 90s. The biggest threat will be heavy downpours at times, which could lead to localized flooding. Hopefully, the rain will slightly improve ongoing drier than normal drought conditions.
Have a great day.
A.R. 😊
