BOZEMAN — Southwesterly flow along the periphery of an upper-level ridge maintains hot, hazy conditions and degraded air quality from Pacific Northwest wildfire smoke through Friday. Isolated to scattered showers and gusty, dry thunderstorms remain possible across Southwest and Central Montana through Thursday, though severe weather potential stays low.
The ridge breaks down this weekend as a dry cold front approaches, pushing state-wide heat to its peak on Saturday—especially east of the Divide and across North-Central MT, where unseasonably high temperatures are expected (though dense smoke could slightly temper max highs).
Behind the front, strong winds and potential mountain wave activity develop late Saturday through Sunday, bringing potential gusts over 55 mph along the Rocky Mountain Front. Combined with critically low relative humidity, these winds will elevate fire weather concerns and threaten backcountry safety before a brief early-week cooling trend arrives.
