BUTTE — As we’ve mentioned over the past few days, a prolonged period of warm, dry weather is officially arriving and looks set to hold strong through next week and potentially longer.
Friday remains warm and breezy, with highs climbing into the mid-to-upper 70s, alongside a few spotty low 80s.
A weak Canadian cold front drifts through Friday night. While it might trigger a few stray, light showers in far eastern Montana Saturday morning, most areas will simply notice a minor drop in temperature. Highs on Saturday will settle in the upper 60s to low 70s under light northeast breezes.
Strong high pressure settles over the West from Sunday through Thursday, driving temperatures far above seasonal norms. Monday is shaping up to be the warmest day of the week, with highs likely pushing into the low 80s.
A weak front passes through midweek, offering a brief, slight cooldown by Tuesday, though conditions will stay unseasonably mild. For context, typical early October highs usually average in the mid-to-upper 60s.
As conditions stay warm and dry, fire danger will start creeping up again, particularly across the southern mountains and foothills, as well as regions that skipped out on late September's heavy rain. Gusty winds accompanying periodic weak fronts will also need close monitoring.
Looking for the next chance of precipitation? Tropical activity in the Pacific remains busy, and some of that moisture could eventually be pushed toward the western U.S. by late next weekend. However, confidence remains low on whether any of it will deliver meaningful rainfall to our area.
