Happy Monday! It's never a dull moment here in the Treasure State. Friday’s cold front brought widespread and damaging wind gusts across the region, with Glasgow Airport registering a 92 mph, the strongest gust on record there. Here are some peak wind gusts from central Montana:
Then, around 12:54 AM today, a magnitude 4.1 earthquake occurred just 8 miles east of Dillon, near the Beaverhead-Madison county line. The tremors were reported as far away as Helena.
Today, an upper-level ridge will continue to strengthen over the area, bringing warming temperatures and abundant sunshine. However, southwest flow will also direct smoke from wildfires in Idaho into our region. As a result, southwest Montana, including Lewis & Clark County, is under an Air Quality Alert until at least 8:00 AM tomorrow. As of this morning, Butte is experiencing unhealthy air quality (orange level) for sensitive groups, while Helena reports moderate air quality.
In terms of temperatures, we can expect highs in the mid to upper 70s and lower 80s through Wednesday, with many areas approaching record highs. It will be breezy during the afternoons, although no significant wind is anticipated.
By Wednesday night, a cold front will approach the area, spreading cloud cover into the region. This front is expected to pass overnight, resulting in high temperatures dropping into the 60s for the remainder of the week. A few, isolated showers may accompany the frontal passage, but minor accumulation is expected.
Temperatures will remain seasonably warm for next weekend, with daytime highs in the 60s and 70s. The drier weather pattern will also persist into mid-October.
