BILLINGS — Critical fire weather conditions are expected Friday afternoon through Saturday for portions of the region. Winds could gust 40 mph or higher anywhere in the area within this time frame.
A high pressure ridge nudges Friday afternoon temperatures 15 to 20 degrees above the Thursday afternoon highs for much of the area. There will be some haze from area fires possible.
Winds will increase around the Livingston foothills during the afternoon and increase to gusts of 55 to 65 mph later in the evening. Winds will move across the eastern plains overnight and remain gusty Saturday.
A combination of wind, warmer than average temperatures, low humidity, and the ongoing dry conditions have prompted the National Weather service to issue a Red Flag Warning for critical fire weather conditions for Yellowstone County and most of the surrounding counties in Montana, plus northern Wyoming through Saturday. The rest of the area is under a wind advisory or wind warning.
Temperatures back off to the 60s to low 70s for highs Saturday. Sunday is a transition day as the winds fade Saturday evening.
The overall pattern is warm and dry from Sunday through the middle of next week. Low will be in the 40s to low 50s and highs 70s to low 80s.
