What a storm. Many places had record rainfall through Tuesday night including Helena and Great Falls. Areas of rain, clouds, and chilly August temperatures continue to work across the state. Some areas in central and eastern Montana that have not seen much precipitation yet are starting to see rain increase there, so everyone is getting in on the action. This storm will be a wildfire season changer. Most if not all of the fires in the state have seen healthy rain along with cold temperatures and high humidity. Even the Pine Grove fire near Zortman, which grew to 17,000+ acres has been seeing moderate rain for hours. This storm extends down into the central Rockies as well, with rain for parts of Wyoming, Idaho, Utah and Colorado. The storm and steady rain will shift into eastern Montana on Thursday, with central and western areas remaining cool with some showers and breaks of sun. Highs will mainly be in the 60s to around 70. There will be areas of fog through the morning hours. Some showers and thunderstorms will come down off of the Continental Divide late Thursday afternoon. Showers and thunderstorms will move through the state at night. Friday will be cool with yet another round of wet weather moving into western Montana later in the day. More rain and thunderstorms will continue Friday night and Saturday. Highs Saturday will be in the 50s and 60s with widespread showers and thunderstorms. A few showers may linger into Sunday morning, but the afternoon will be partly cloudy with temperatures in the 70s. Another front with a chance of showers and thunderstorms is possible on Monday. By later in the week, temperatures will warm back up into the 80s with dry conditions returning. The significant rain and cool temperatures over a prolonged period will do wonders for the fires, and help firefighters gain an advantage. Fire season is not over yet, but this was a knockdown blow.
Curtis Grevenitz
Chief Meteorologist
