Rain, even snow, in the forecast
Smoke shrouds the Belton Hills as the sun rises last week through the smoke of the Howe Ridge Fire.
Cooler temperatures and a chance of rain at the end of this weekend may provide some relief to the firefighters battling several fires in Northwest Montana.
A cold front Sunday is expected to push temperatures 10 degrees below average with a chance of thunderstorms and showers. The news appears to be even better for Monday.
“That’s when we have our highest chance of rain, including inside Glacier National Park,” National Weather Service meteorologist Jeff Krismiller told the Inter Lake.
Monday’s forecasted high temperature for the Glacier area is 58 degrees and a low of 39.
“Even without rain, cooler temperatures are really beneficial for making progress on fires,” Krismiller said. “We also think there will be an improvement in the air quality.”
The Weather Service said conditions above 7,000 feet are likely to be quite unpleasant as wet, windy weather combined with temperatures in the 40s produce raw, fall-like weather.
“There is a chance of snow at 8,000 feet and it’s not out of the question at 7,000,” Kitsmiller said.
The system will likely leave scattered showers behind on Tuesday with temperatures remaining about 10 to 15 degrees below normal. Drier weather is possible by Wednesday with temperatures still
below normal.
As for the wildfires burning on the Flathead and Kootenai National Forests, some grew overnight Tuesday.
The Gold Hill Fire, 13 miles north of Libby, increased from 1,100 acres to nearly 1,400 with no containment reported. It made its way into Noisy Creek on the south and east sides.
Fire crews have been prepping the south boundary over the past few days to begin burning operations northeast of the Stimson Lumber Company and south of Noisy Creek. The burning is intended to be an understory burn that will remove dead trees and duff layers. Over the next several days, as weather conditions allow, firefighters will continue to burn along the southern boundary of the fire from the eastern to western edge.
Structure protection crews are also in the area of the residences along the Pipe Creek Road from mile marker 11-13, putting in water lines where dozer line has been established.
A pre-evacuation warning remains in place in the area.
On the Flathead, the Paola Ridge Fire grew a little more than 200 acres to 566 as it moved over the ridge into the Paola Creek drainage. That prompted the use of a Type 1 helicopter that made water drops.
The fire continued its progress down the mountain toward fire lines that were built.
The Whale Butte Fire, 10 miles northwest of Polebridge, saw decreased behavior and slower movement after rain moved through the area Monday. It was listed at 311 acres. The evacuation warning for landowners and visitors for all park areas north of the junction of Bowman Lake Road and the Inside North Fork Road Wednesday.
Contingency lines are being established along the North Fork corridor and structure protection preparation remains a primary objective. As fire behavior and safety concerns allow, firefighters are scouting control line locations that may be closer to the fire’s edge than current contingency lines.
A temporary spike camp for firefighting resources will be established at the Wurtz Airstrip and more fire traffic is expected in the area.
Firefighters are making headway on the Davis Fire as it only grew five acres to 6,205 and reached 10 percent containment Tuesday.
Montana saw air quality improve statewide Wednesday, but that was changing later in the day and was expected to continue Thursday as wind shifts were expected to move more smoke into the region.
Reporter Scott Shindledecker can be reached at (406) 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com.