Red Flag Warning 5, NWS Missoula, MT

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service Missoula MT
145 PM MDT Mon Aug 1 2022

.DISCUSSION...Critical fire conditions will exist today and near
critical for Tuesday as the region remains hot, dry, and windy
during this time. As a result, fire danger remains very high and
the threat for rapidly spreading fire will exist over at least the
next two days. Winds will be generally out of the west,
increasing this afternoon and continuing through late this
evening. Gusts of 25 to 30 mph will be common across most of
western Montana and central Idaho.

Please do your part to prevent any kind of fire, even the
smallest spark, from igniting and adding to the already increasing
amount of wildfires.

The cold front, if you can even call it that now, is expected to
cross Tuesday. This front once possessed the potential to bring
rainfall to the region, but it has now changed to just a dry and
windy frontal passage with an increase in cloud cover. It will
cool temperatures down a bit, but not as dramatically as it was
once expected. Instead, high temperatures will "cool" into the 90s
and upper 80s for the region. With high pressure expected to
strengthen once more over the Northern Rockies, daytime highs
should remain in this range going into the latter half of the
week.

Another chance for precipitation may come by the weekend, though
confidence is low at this time. The ridge looks to break down with
another chance at a cold front to cross on Friday, but it really
does appear that this will be another mostly-dry frontal passage
accompanied by an increase in winds.

&&

.AVIATION...Westerly winds will begin to increase at all terminals
after 01/2200Z and continue through roughly 02/0300Z before
diminishing. With a mostly dry cold front expected to cross
Tuesday, an increase in cloud cover and strengthening west to
northwest winds will occur, with winds becoming gusty after
02/1800Z through later in the evening.

&&

.MSO WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
MT...Red Flag Warning until 9 PM MDT this evening Flathead
     Reservation...Flathead/Glacier Park...Kootenai...West Lolo.

     Heat Advisory until midnight MDT tonight Flathead/Mission
     Valleys...Missoula/Bitterroot Valleys.

     Heat Advisory until midnight MDT tonight Kootenai/Cabinet
     Region...Lower Clark Fork Region.

ID...Excessive Heat Warning until 11 PM PDT this evening Lower Hells
     Canyon/Salmon River Region...Orofino/Grangeville Region.

     Heat Advisory until 11 PM PDT this evening Northern Clearwater
     Mountains...Southern Clearwater Mountains.

&&