The National Weather Service out of Great Falls has issued a Fire Weather Watch covering the Central and Eastern Lewis and Clark National Forest and both the Helena and Townsend Ranger Districts of the Helena National Forest, running from early Wednesday morning through 6 p.m. Thursday. The combination of dry air, heat, and wind has forecasters concerned about conditions that could turn any spark into a fast-moving fire.
Southwest winds of 15 to 25 miles per hour, with gusts reaching 40 mph, are expected to push relative humidity as low as 14 percent — well below the threshold that allows vegetation to resist ignition. Temperatures could climb to 80 degrees. The NWS warning is direct: any fires that develop will spread rapidly, and containment of new or ongoing fires may be very difficult.
The watch arrives while fire crews on the Helena Ranger District are already working a prescribed burn south of Highway 12 near the Continental Divide, finishing off the 180-acre Sure Things Swamp unit. A separate prescribed burn planned south of Lincoln has been postponed until conditions improve. Residents near forest boundaries are encouraged to have defensible space cleared and to avoid any outdoor burning during the watch period.