A FIRE WEATHER WATCH has been issued for Sunday for much of central Montana because of elevated fire danger.
The full Harvest Moon was Thursday, but the night sky will be special through the weekend. Mars will be extremely close to the moon, and the red planet will also be making one of its closest passes to Earth this year. Skies will be clear night and day, allowing for good viewing.
Besides the beautiful skies, the weather will be unusually warm and sunny this weekend. Highs will reach the 60s and 70s, with a few 80s on Sunday. Sunday's combination of warm temperatures, stronger wind, low humidity, and a cumulative dry stretch will increase the fire danger. Red Flag Warning conditions are likely so please use caution outside to not spark a fire.
Unusually warm, sunny and dry weather will continue through most of this upcoming week as well. Highs will remain in the 70s to around 80. There will be periods of increased wind making for high fire danger. Fire season will certainly run at least into the middle of October this year.
Have a great weekend.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist