EBS STAFF
A Red Flag Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service in both Billings and Great Falls, in effect from noon on Tuesday, March 24 until 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 25, and covering portions of south central Montana, with especially critical conditions expected in lower elevations where grasses remain dry. The warning replaces an existing Fire Weather Watch issued March 23.
The alert includes Wheatland, Park, Stillwater, Sweet Grass and Gallatin counties. A combination of low humidity, unseasonably warm temperatures and strong, gusty winds will create dangerous fire weather conditions increasing the likelihood of new fire starts and rapid fire spread, according to NWS.
West winds are expected to range from 25 to 35 miles per hour, with gusts reaching up to 60 mph, strongest in a corridor from Livingston to Big Timber and north toward Harlowton. Relative humidity may drop as low as 15%, while temperatures climb to around 75 degrees.
A cold front moving south from the north is forecast to pass through between 3 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, arriving last along the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains. The Red Flag Warning also extended into the Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest below the snow line.
