Changing weather in the forecast

The Condon Mountain Fire has grown to 5,100 acres and burning is expected to remain active in the next few days, but the National Weather Service is forecasting a significant change to cooler and wetter weather by the middle of next week.

The fire is burning about four miles northeast of Condon and within about 1 1/2 miles of the nearest homes in the Swan Valley. Suppression efforts have largely focused on preventing the fire from burning downslope into the valley.

About 200 people are assigned to the fire along with heavy equipment and aircraft.

The National Weather Service issued an advisory Friday predicting that temperatures will drop to highs in the upper 40s and lower 50s and possible widespread precipitation by Tuesday afternoon. Snow is expected at elevations as low as 4,000 feet.

The weather system is expected to be preceded by strong northeasterly winds gusting as high as 50 mph.

One benefit of the incoming system is the prediction that “smoke will no longer plague valleys of Western Montana and central Idaho,” according to the Weather Service advisory.

The weather change likely will have an impact on fire behavior at Condon as well as two fires burning in the Mission Mountain Range.

The Mollman Fire east of Ronan has covered 233 acres with low to moderate burning activity in recent days.

The Whitehorse Lake Fire has grown to 610 acres in the area of the Jocko Lookout. The Confederated Salish-Kootenai Tribes fire division has taken action to protect the lookout.