Good Morning! Today is Monday, August 24, 2026.
There were scattered showers and thunderstorms around Sunday afternoon/evening, and some of those storms were severe with strong winds and large hail. Malta, MT recorded a wind gust of 75 mph with a severe thunderstorms Sunday evening. There were also a few new fire starts on Sunday, and some of the active wildfires really grew on Sunday due to the strong winds.
The Sawmill fire began Sunday afternoon west of Winifred and has burned 250 acres so far. The Firework fire began near Fort Belknap and burned at least 9 acres and at least two structures.
The Camp Creek fire, which was first discovered on Friday really blew up on Sunday. There has been no update to the acreage burned since Saturday afternoon, when it was at 77 acres, but it has likely burned at least 1000 acres by now. This fire put out a significant smoke plume that was visible throughout a lot of north-central Montana Sunday afternoon/evening.
As the wind died down, the smoke began to settle down near the surface, so it became very smoky throughout portions of north-central Montana yesterday evening, especially in Teton County, northern Lewis and Clark County, and Cascade County. In fact the smoke became so bad that it began to seep into buildings. No surprise, the air quality also became unhealthy for everyone in these areas, and there were even some reports of ash falling in Augusta and Choteau.
This morning, it is smoky and the air quality is unhealthy for everyone in some areas, especially in northern Lewis and Clark County, in portions of Teton County, in Cascade County, in portions of Chouteau County, and in Judith Basin County. If you are in these areas, limit your time outdoors this morning. Later this morning through this evening, this smoke will push southward, allowing conditions to improve in north-central Montana, while it will become smokier around the Helena area. The smoke will then diminish around the Helena area tonight.
Tomorrow, it will just be a little hazy throughout central and north-central Montana as the smoke from the Camp Creek fire will be impacting western Montana.
Outside of the smoke, you can expect lots of sunshine and dry conditions today. It is also goingto be cooler today than it was over the weekend as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s. There is also going to be a good breeze around today in central and eastern portions of north-central Montana, as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 25 mph. Elsewhere, it will just be a little breezy today.
Tomorrow, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and there will be a few showers and thunderstorms around the Helena area, mainly during the afternoon and evening. It is also going to feel nice outside tomorrow as highs are going to be in the upper 70s and low to mid 80s.
On Wednesday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and there will be some isolated showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening. It is then going to be partly cloudy on Thursday and there will be some scattered showers and thunderstorms around during the afternoon and evening as a stronger disturbance passes through the state.
It is going to be hot on Wednesday and Thursday as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 80s and low to mid 90s. There will also be a little breeze around in some areas on both days as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Friday will be a nice day as it is going to be mostly sunny and mostly dry as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. Highs on Friday will be in the 80s and low 90s and it will be a bit breezy (10-20 mph) in some areas.
The temperatures will cool down this weekend as highs are going to be in the upper 70s and low to mid 80s on Saturday and the 70s on Sunday. On Saturday, it is going to be mostly sunny and there will be some isolated showers and thunderstorms around. It is then going to be mostly sunny and mostly dry on Sunday. There will also be a bit of a breeze around in some areas this weekend as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 10 and 20 mph.
Have a marvelous Monday!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
