Very dry conditions, gusty winds up to 40 MPH, and the chance of lightning storms have created dangerous fire conditions across all of western Montana on Friday. Any wildfires that start today will be difficult to contain, so Red Flag Warnings have been issued across the western counties.
Wildfire smoke from Canada, and the smoke from fires within Montana dropped the Air Quality Index (AQI) in parts of Montana by dozens of points on Wednesday. Thursday isn't looking too promising either with Air Quality Alerts and Heat Advisories in effect for large portions of the state.
It's mid-day on one of the warmest days of the year, and I've driven by no fewer that half a dozen homes with their sprinklers on. It's not illegal to water your lawn, but their are rules and there is common sense - both of which are being ignored too often around Bozeman.
Red Flag Warnings have been issued for a large area covering Fort Peck Lake and the Missouri River on Thursday. Very dry conditions and gusty winds up to 40 MPH today make for extremely precarious conditions.
This is fantastic news for Montana considering the influx of people in the last few years. A characteristic of being a Montanan apparently still holds true, and it's a health win all around. Being active and getting outside is so important to overall health - we all know that.