BOZEMAN – A deep trough of Low-pressure is sitting over Montana and extends down into Idaho and Wyoming Monday afternoon.
This storm system has produced widespread areas of rain and some reports of heavy rainfall locally. The 2 day storm totals will vary from a half an inch to 2 inches across SW Montana.
This storm will continue to produce cold and wet weather through midnight Monday and skies will begin to clear by Tuesday morning. This could lead to dense valley fog Tuesday morning.
This trough pattern is also opening the door for thick wildfire smoke to drop down into Montana from wildfires in Canada. The smoke is producing “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” air quality ratings across northern Montana.
An Air Quality Alert is up for most of northern, central and eastern Montana through at least Tuesday morning but will most likely remain in place through Wednesday morning.
The flow aloft will begin to veer out of the SW starting Wednesday and this should help scrub most of the wildfire smoke out of Montana. This SW flow could help produce a few afternoon thunderstorms locally Wednesday.
Temperatures are running 10 to 30 degrees cooler Monday compared to Sunday but a slow warming trend begins Tuesday and temperatures will climb back up to near normal levels through the rest of the work week.
