BOZEMAN – SW flow aloft has once again paved the way for wildfire smoke to drift back into our region. This will not change in the short-term but with a pattern change coming late weekend air quality should improve.
As of 1 pm Thursday afternoon air quality ratings where in the “moderate” range for SW Montana. The ratings could worsen the longer the smoke is sitting down in the valley floor over the next couple of days.
Saturday a strong cold front with moisture will begin to push into Montana and reach SW Montana Saturday afternoon and evening. Ahead of the front warm, dry and windy conditions and higher fire danger.
Valley rain and mountain snow will begin to impact the region Saturday evening through Monday. A sharp drop in temperatures is likely as well with highs falling into the 40s and 50s by Sunday.
Snow accumulations forecast models are all over the place with accumulations and it’s still too early to give an accurate forecast for totals. A minimum snow accumulation above 5,000’ is several inches and above 6,000’ there could be over 3” and the values keep going up the higher the elevation. Some of the snow will melt initially but with the colder air digging into Montana Sunday and Monday snow will stick and accumulate. There could be a minor impact on travel for mountain passes.
