Good Morning and Happy Labor Day! Today is Monday, September 7, 2026.
There were scattered showers and thunderstorms around yesterday evening and overnight. Several of the storms were severe with large to very large hail as well as strong winds. The largest hailstone that we received a photo of was 2.5-3” in diameter and fell near Hilger, MT in Fergus County.
It is going to be a wet start to the week as a storm system continues to impact the state. Showers and thunderstorms are likely today, especially during the morning. There will then continue to be scattered showers and a few thunderstorms around tonight and tomorrow, generally in north-central Montana.
Rainfall amounts will vary considerably across our area. Along the Rocky Mountain Front, along the Hi-Line between the Divide and Hill County, and in portions of the Golden Triangle, 1-2+” of rainfall is expected. Elsewhere in north-central Montana, rainfall amounts will generally be between .25” and .75”, although a few areas will receive more or less than that range. Around the Helena area, a lot of locations will receive <.25” of rain through tomorrow night.
A FLOOD WATCH is in effect for portions of western and north-central Montana through Tuesday morning. Flooding due to excessive rainfall is possible in these areas as 1-2+” of additional rain is expected on top of all the rain that has already fallen.
It will be mostly cloudy in some areas today, but around Helena and in southern/eastern portions of north-central Montana, it will be partly cloudy today, with the cloud cover decreasing some as the day goes on. It is then going to be partly to mostly cloudy tonight and tomorrow.
The wind will increase as we go through today, with gusty winds develop for the afternoon and evening. Sustained wind speeds will be between 15 and 30 mph, and wind gusts of 40-50 mph will be possible. The gusty winds will continue tonight, especially in north-central Montana, as gusts over 40 mph will be possible at times. The wind won’t be as strong tomorrow, but it will continue to be breezy with sustained winds of 10-25 mph, and gusts up to 40 mph are possible.
It will be a cool start to the week as highs today and tomorrow are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s in most locations (low to mid 70s in northeastern Montana today).
Beautiful weather is expected Wednesday and Thursday as high pressure is going to be in control of our weather. On Wednesday, it is going to be mainly sunny and dry, and on Thursday, it is going to be partly to mostly sunny and mostly dry. Warmer temperatures are also expected on these two days as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 70s and low to mid 80s. Wednesday will be a breezy day with 10-25 mph sustained winds, while Thursday will be a windy day with 15-35 mph sustained winds, and gusts may top 50 mph at times.
Cooler temperatures return on Friday behind a cold front as highs are going to be in the 60s in most locations. Skies will be partly to mostly cloudy on Friday and a few showers are possible, generally in the mountains and along the Hi-Line. It will also be a little breezy on Friday as sustained wind speeds are going to be between 5 and 20 mph.
Another storm system will impact the state this weekend. There will be scattered showers around throughout the weekend, but especially on Saturday. In the mountains, it will be cold enough for snow this weekend, with snow levels possibly dropping down to pass level (5000-6000 feet) Saturday night into Sunday morning. It will be cool this weekend as highs are going to be in the mid to upper 50s and low to mid 60s. There will also be a little breeze around on Saturday.
Have a great Labor Day!
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Dennis
