Fire Weather Watch

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SATURDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY MORNING DUE TO LIGHTNING FOR KOOTENAI, WEST LOLO, AND FLATHEAD RESERVATION...

...FIRE WEATHER WATCH IN EFFECT FROM SUNDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH SUNDAY EVENING DUE TO WIND AND LOW RELATIVE HUMIDITY FOR DEERLODGE/WEST BEAVERHEAD AND EAST BEAVERHEAD...

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.Antecedent conditions have been very dry and warm. The Kootenai Forest especially has received well below normal precipitation since early July. Thunderstorms with little to no precipitation Saturday evening and overnight will be followed Sunday with a dry cold front. Increased winds and lowering relative humidities behind the front on Sunday will potentially bring critical fire weather conditions to southwest Montana.

The National Weather Service in Missoula MT has issued a Fire Weather Watch.

* AFFECTED AREA...Fire Weather Zones 104, 106, and 107.

* TIMING...From Saturday afternoon through Sunday morning.

* LIGHTNING...Afternoon and evening thunderstorms will transition to nocturnal thunderstorms. Dry surface conditions could lead to lightning producing storms with little to no precipitation.

* OUTFLOW WINDS...Through 9 pm erratic winds 25 to 40 mph.

* IMPACTS...Lightning strikes will have the potential to start new fires, and gusty outflow winds could cause rapid spread of new and existing wildfires.