Red Flag Warning & High Wind Watch Across Much of Central Montana Wednesday

Everyone knows that springtime in Montana is a weather roller coaster. It might snow, or it might be t-shirt weather. This week is a perfect example.

In the Billings area, we're expecting a daytime high in the low 90s on Wednesday, and along with the heatwave, there are two things to keep an eye on.

Read More: Montana Ranked One Of The Windiest States In America

High Wind Watch

The National Weather Service in Billings has posted a High Wind Watch for much of south central Montana, beginning Wednesday evening through Thursday evening.

Impacted areas include: Golden Valley County, Musselshell County, Northern Stillwater County, and Southwestern Yellowstone County. Winds are expected to gust up to 60 miles per hour in Ryegate, Roundup, Lavina, Columbus, Absarokee, and Billings.

Forecasters note winds might be erratic due to isolated thunderstorm activity.

Red Flag Warning

A Red Flag Warning has been issued across northcentral and eastern Montana between 10 AM and 9 PM on Wednesday. A particularly critical day for fire weather is expected with a combination of hot, dry, and windy conditions.

In the late afternoon and evening, there will also be isolated dry thunderstorms with erratic winds gusting up to 60 mph. Concerns will remain elevated Thursday through Saturday with poor chances for wetting rain and limited overnight humidity recovery.

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The Red Flag warning covers a huge swath of Montana, basically from north of Forsyth and Miles City to the Canadian border.

Flooding?

Here's the good news... despite the far-above-average temps this week, hydrologists are not anticipating any significant flooding in southcentral Montana. That's because most of the snowpack in the 6,000 - 8,000 ft range has already melted.

However, flows in the Yellowstone River and Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone River are anticipated to double by the end of the week. They probably won't flood their banks, but the rivers won't be safe for recreation, and fishing is pretty much off the table.

Stay safe out there.